Repairs, renovations to begin at Holy Cross

Chris Moore / The Item Renovations will soon begin at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Stateburg. The project, which will cost close to $2 million, is being handled by Mashburn Construction Co. Inc.

Inside Church of the Holy Cross (gallery)

By ANNABELLE ROBERTSON
Item Staff Writer
arobertson@theitem.com

After years of waiting, the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Stateburg is ready to begin renovations.

"I'm terribly excited," said the Rev. Thomas "Tommy" Allen, rector, as he surveyed the historic building, a wide grin lighting his face. "Ecstatic. Speechless, almost."

Mashburn Construction Co. Inc., is handling the project, which will cost close to $2 million.

The funds for the renovation were acquired primarily through private donations — most notably, a $1.5 million anonymous bequest made last year. Another grant of $250,000 was obtained through the National Parks Service's Save America's Treasures program.

As to how big the job will be, Senior Project Manager Steve Hatton said simply, "Big."

Chris Moore / The Item

The past decade has been trying for the church parish, which became a National Historic Landmark in 1973. First came a lawsuit that the congregation filed against the two termite companies that had been paid to keep bugs away. It was termites that nearly destroyed the church. Holy Cross lost the lawsuit and appealed. The appeal was rejected.

Now, it's being considered by the South Carolina Supreme Court.

The construction crew will be facing a challenge. While still awaiting final permits from the county, they have been erecting a fence around the church's perimeter and marking where all the work needs to take place, while reviewing the plans. It's not easy renovating a building that dates back to 1850.

Many of the heart pine slats that create the interior roof, for example, must be replaced — yet none are uniform. Each one must therefore be cut on site.

Also, sections of the roof must be removed, one at a time, then quickly replaced. Because no moisture can be allowed near the 20-foot, pise de terre (otherwise known as "rammed earth") walls, workers must remove only as much roof as they can repair and replace in a single day.

Chris Moore / The Item

"If we damage it, we go to Hades," joked Allen Wall, construction superintendent. "At least that's what the architect said."

An even bigger problem will be the exterior roof above the front sanctuary. On the outside, it is covered by concrete tiles. On the inside, the concave roof is decorated with intricate lime rosettes. To preserve the rosettes, the contractors will need to use foam-covered scaffolding, in case one falls. They will place more foam on the floor beneath the scaffolding, along with a wood base to hold the scaffolding. Then they'll go outside and completely remove the roof.

"What's unique about this job is that the roof has to come off in order to make the repairs," explained Hatton. "Normally you do that from the interior."

The contractors, who said that they don't consider themselves specialists in historic preservation, are still confident. And they hope to begin work soon, possibly as early as next week.

In the meantime, the timeline has parishioners dreaming of returning to their church home.

"It's been a long, long time," said Retta Sanders, a lifelong member of Holy Cross who volunteers as the church's historian. "The timeline says it will all be complete by December 21. That would mean we'd be in by Christmas. Christmas!"

She sighed, glanced around the empty church, where all of the stained glass windows, icons and historic markers have been removed, and added, "It would be just wonderful."



Contact Staff Writer Annabelle Robertson at arobertson@theitem.com or (803) 774-1250.