Posted on 03/17/2012 1:39:16 PM PDT by NYer
Take one good, long last look at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a defining landmark of New York City. It is about to disappear for two or three years under a cocoon of scaffolding, inside and out, that will permit a $177 million rehabilitation project to unfold, the most extensive work at the cathedral in generations.
Come to think of it, don’t take too good a look. You may see the growing cracks in the marble facade and the patchwork of repairs up and down the buttresses, the dimness of the stained-glass windows and smoke-darkened walls, the zebra striping caused by lathing behind the plaster ceiling vaults, jerry-built vents poking out of the triforium arches along the nave, the jury-rigged cooling plant sitting in a giant plywood shed on 51st Street and the climbing-ivy accumulation of wiring and conduits around the column bases. You may even spot a chunk of stone on the cathedral grounds that has fallen from a wall above.
These and many other problems are to be addressed in the project, which is to be formally announced on Saturday by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan as part of the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
“I’m talking about survival,” the cardinal said in an interview last week. “If we don’t do something substantive for St. Patrick’s Cathedral, in four or five years we’re going to have to close it, because it will be dangerous.”
That may be a bit of fund-raising hyperbole. But the physical condition of St. Patrick’s, which was designed by James Renwick Jr. and opened in 1879, has been a source of concern since Cardinal Edward M. Egan was archbishop and initiated the renovation project more than five years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com ...
All of the pipes will be removed from the west side of the organ to protect them from dust.
Rockefeller Center has surely benefited over the years from its link to St. Patricks Cathedral, he said. Im Jewish. We are neighbors. This is not about church politics. This is about restoring one of the citys most important landmarks. Its a responsibility we all share.
Cardinal Dolan said mass this morning from the cathedral, broadcast live via EWTN. Not surprisingly, all the (self) 'important' dignitaries were there .. Bloomberg, Cuomo, et al. May they open wide their wallets and donate generously to the preservation of this magnificent NYC landmark.
So he served communion to Cuomo did he? Did he do so at the gov’s election bash, too?
Oh well. The parade was very moving, at least.
IIRC, Rockefeller Center's heating and cooling are run on Con-Ed steam.
I would not doubt if the bulk of the money is coming from the local Diocese.
Clearly the most beautiful building in NYC.
It’s spectacularly, exquisitely beautiful.
I don’t get in to the City very often. But when I do I try to stop in. It’s awe-inspiring.
They are no where near the amount needed to restore the cathedral. They only have enough for phase 1. Cardinal Dolan reminded everyone today, on their way out, that he still needs to raise more than $100 million $$.
There are some very rich Catholics in NYC and when push comes to shove they will do their duty.
A Church does not survive for 1,700 years without instilling a sense of duty.
And another very good thing is that there will be lots of jobs for several years.
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