New Orleans Church Rebounds from Katrina

Client: St. Charles Ave. Presbyterian Church
Location: New Orleans, LA

St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Orleans made a stunning recovery in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a result of strategic planning Church Restoration Group (CRG).

Hurricane Katrina ripped sections of roofing from this 1930 church and allowed heavy rains to penetrate the building, damaging the decorative ceiling, plaster walls, architectural millwork, and liturgical furniture throughout the sanctuary. In the basement, two feet of water surrounded the mechanical systems. With a congregation scattered in temporary housing, the National Guard patrolling closed streets, and no power in the city, St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church stood waiting for its revival weeks after the storm.

Church Restoration Group provided emergency services immediately upon being granted access to the site, then planned and completed $1,033,600 of total work at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Church Restoration Group first removed pipes for the church organ and built an extensive crating system for their storage complete with specialized wood-straw packing material. Keeping the pipes on-site in these protective crates ensured a consistently controlled environment, minimized handling and reduced the potential for damage. With the pipes secured, Church Restoration Group carried out plans to prime, paint, and install the new ceiling panels, refinish the exposed trusses and perlins, and complete trim work on the ceiling and sidewalls.

Church Restoration Group removed all of the existing hogs-hair and asbestos ceiling materials and began a nationwide search for appropriate replacement panels. Following research and recommendations from acoustical experts, CRG located cabinet-grade wooden panels that were manufactured in the exact dimensions needed and featured the rigidity necessary to improve sound quality in the sanctuary. Despite the difficulty these presented for installation, the large seamless panels were used to help maintain the structural and aesthetic value of the decorative ceiling.

Church Restoration Group brought fine arts experts Tobias Freccia Studios into the project to execute stencil work on the ceilings above the sanctuary and chancel areas. The stencils were based on details of the building’s original design elements as collected by church staff during research at nearby Tulane University. Using a complex grid to arrange the layout, the artisans replicated certain designs and added approved new artwork, including a series of heraldic shields featuring the twelve disciples. The quatrefoil and other motifs found throughout the church are now reflected in the bold, newly painted ceiling panels.

The specialty plaster walls below also required a high level of care. Church Restoration worked with Freccia Studios as craftsmen removed loose plaster, eliminated water stains, made extensive plaster repairs, then repainted and re-glazed the Travertine-style “stone blocks” that surround the sanctuary. An original compound of acrylic mixed with plaster was used to make the repairs to most every wall surface in the large church. Workers then primed, painted a base color and added antiquing glaze to define the faux blocks.

The final work at the church included overseeing installation of a new porcelain tile floor in the sanctuary, replacement of water-logged carpeting removed during the emergency services phase, and re-installation of the wooden pews and liturgical furniture, which had been cleaned, repaired and refinished off-site.

Church Restoration Group was honored to participate in the restoration, repair, and renewal projects completed at historic St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian. The church faced the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and recovered, now ready to serve future generations of New Orleans’ residents.