Just before the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced yesterday the beginning phase of the $177 million renovation of St. Patrick's Cathedral. His timing was impeccable, getting that call in before the streets were flooded with suburban weekend warriors expressing the true spirit of yesterday's sanctified Catholic hoilday.
So far, the cathedral's renovation fund has $45 million, enough to begin work on restoring the exterior and windows—but an additional $132 million is needed for phases two and three, restoring the interior and grounds (as usual, the figures change depending on who you ask—NY1 and the the Post keep citing that the cathedral needs $125 million, despite also citing a "nearly $180 million restoration"). Starting in April, the whole buliding will be covered in the shrouds of scaffolding and will remain so for at least two years, with the bronze rooftop Madonna getting a scrub. Inside, the 19th century stained glass will see a full restauration and the 118-foot ceiling will be replastered.
The last renovation at St Patrick's—which was built in 1879—took place in 1979, but apparently this latest renovation is one of dire need, since several buckets-full of stone fall off the Fifth Avenue landmark every day. According to CityRoom, the level of disrepair has gotten way out of hand, with "jerry-built vents poking out" along the nave, or the "jury-rigged cooling plant" located outside in a shed on 51st St. Apparently a $300 crack could "turn into a several thousand dollar stone replacement if left unchecked."
Luckily, marble only rises 30 feet above the floor in the interior, with the rest of the material made of Beton Coignet, an artificial stone made of concrete. A fun New York factoid of the moment: that stone was produced by a factory that one stood at the current Whole Foods site on the Gowanus Canal, where the landmarked former office and Coignet display model remains a topic of dispute for developers and local preservationists.
Due to his conservative views on abortion, contraception and gay marriage, Cardinal Dolan may have trouble raising the rest of the money. But many architectually-minded New Yorkers are generous types: for example, one major fundraiser is Rob Speyer, co-chief executive of Tishman Speyer, the corporation that bought a major stake in Rockefeller Center in 1996, and poured huge amounts into its restoration.
