Sunday, March 25: The last of the scaffolding was removed from the sanctuary this past week and the furnishing restored to the chancel, just in time for the "hallelujah's" of Palm Sunday.

Wednesday, March 14: From Doug Patterson's e-mail to Virtual Smithfield

For the first time in several weeks I'm able to look up and see the sanctuary ceiling. The scaffolding is coming down and, hopefully, should be completely gone by Sunday. That will be very nice!

Cleanup of the church is virtually finished, and work on the fellowship hall should be getting underway in the near future.

Work on the exterior of the church building continues, consisting of wrapping the structure with industrial netting. This is a safety/precautionary measure that will protect pedestrians in the event of falling masonry (as happened last week across the street from the former Gimbel's/Barnes & Nobel building – fortunately no one was injured there). This netting will be removed upon the completion of permanent repairs.

Sunday, March 4: Feature story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The Social Hall

For those familiar with the room, the "Cross" doorway leading to the front doors is at the left edge of the first photo. The door to the hallway and library is toward the right on the second photo. The middle of the three newly exposed panels on the right wall was the site of the Children's Window.

Wednesday, February 28: From Doug Patterson's e-mail to Virtual Smithfield

A painter labors atop the dance floor scaffolding in the sanctuary. Some plaster needed to be repaired and, thus, repainted. This is intricate work as the colors have to be matched perfectly, and the rosettes have lots of little crevices to highlight.

But not all of the work is fire related.

The scaffolding on the exterior of the church is to install netting being placed around the entire building to prevent injuries to pedestrians from falling stone or concrete. We've known for some time that our exterior masonry is in need of repair. Permanent repairs will be completed in months to come.

Electricians are installing motors in the sanctuary light fixtures. This will enable us to raise and lower the fixtures in the future for cleaning and the changing of lightbulbs and will result in significant savings from the present method requiring the rental of scaffolding to get to the lights. Because of the expense we've only been able to replace bulbs every two to three years. (The fixtures originally had hand cranks for raising and lowering them, but those were long ago removed.)

Sunday, February 25: From the question and answer session following the service:

What was the cause of the fire?

It was an accidental electrical fire that started in the light switch controlling the fixture that illuminated the stained glass window. As part of the restoration of the room, all elements – electrical and otherwise – will be brought up to current codes.

When will the scaffolding be removed from the sanctuary?

Probably within two weeks. The cleaning and painting are nearly complete. In the meantime we are taking advantage of the presence of scaffolding to make necessary repairs to previously damaged ceiling plaster that otherwise would have been a costly undertaking. Scaffolding likely will soon be erected in the stairway leading to the sanctuary for cleaning and painting.

When will the Social Hall be available to use?

Anywhere from 2 to 4 months. The hall will not be restored to what it was before the fire. The approved "Next Step" proposal for the building already included plans to return the Social Hall to its original, larger configuration, removing walls and restoring windows as well as providing air conditioning for the sanctuary. With this in mind, the ceiling of the hall, which has already been pulled down and had asbestos removed, will not be restored. That space will eventually be the location of the air conditioning system for the sanctuary. Damaged walls that were to be removed as part of the Next Step plan will also not be restored. We don't want to be rebuilding what we will later tear down. Fire recovery includes installation of good lighting and commercial carpeting that will serve us well in the meantime.

What about the closed first floor ladies room next to the Social Hall?

That should be open soon. The floor tiles are asbestos and must be removed.

Does our insurance cover the piano and musical instruments that were in the Social Hall?

Yes, the piano is covered as are all the contents of the room (chairs, tables, and other property) as well as the musical instruments of the musicians to the extent that they are not otherwise covered.

And the organ?

Investigations concerning the fire-related condition of the organ are ongoing. A decision concerning its cleaning and playability should be made within the next two weeks. Pre-existing plaster damage in the pipe vaults will be repaired as well as the leaking roof that led to the damage, but at our expense.

The African United Fellowship was holding its worship service in the Social Hall. Are they still meeting at the church?

Yes, they are. They're using the space overlooking the gymnasium.

What is the total loss due to the fire?

That is still being determined though it will be something over $1 million, covering the bills from G.S. Jones for restoration and the value of the contents of the Social Hall and other property belonging to the church that was destroyed.

An outgrowth of the discussion was the recommendation that, for the safety and security of all, the church council review expectations and requirements of groups using the church for individual meetings and events as well as on-going contractual arrangements.

Monday, February 5: See Doug's letter in the February issue of The Spire.

See also