Construction of the Cathedral of Saint Paul “A Great Theology Book in Stone” From Concept to Masterpiece in 36 Years

Presented by Larry Morgan, Client Services Manager Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson And Associates, Inc. (TKDA)

Our World in 1910

Politics: • William Howard Taft: 27th President • Adolph Olson Eberhart: 17th MN Governor

• Daniel Lawler: Saint Paul Mayor 1908-1910 • Herbert Keller: Saint Paul Mayor 1910-1916

Church Leadership: • Pope Pius X • Pope Benedict XV • Archbishop John Ireland Our World in 1910

• Life Expectancy = 48 years • 3% of homes had phones • 14% of homes had a bathtub • Average hourly wage was $0.22/Hr • Population of Saint Paul was 270,000 • Eggs = 14 cents/dozen Coffee = 15 cents/pound • More than 95% of all births took place at home • The American flag had 46 stars • World Series Champs = Philadelphia Athletics • Popular Songs: Danny Boy & Let me Call You Sweetheart Getting Started in 1904

• April 1, 1904: Archbishop Ireland decides he needs a Larger Cathedral • April 9, 1904: Charles H.F. Smith and A.B. Stickney, two prominent local businessmen, purchase the Kittson Mansion on Saint Anthony Hill Getting Started in 1904

• September 28, 1904: Executive Building Committee meets for first time Preparing the Site Events of 1905

• March 20, 1905: El Masqueray selected as Architect • November 15, 1905: Masqueray presents drawings to Building Committee

El Masqueray

• Born in Dieppe, France in 1861 • Raised in Rouen and in 1873 the family moved to Paris • Entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, the oldest and most prestigious fine arts school in the world at age 17 • In the 1880s he moved to NYC • Served as the Chief of Design for the St. Louis Worlds Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition) in 1904 • In 1905 he moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota • Died in 1917 at the age of 56 • Buried in Saint Paul’s Calvary Cemetery

Preliminary Drawings Preliminary Drawings Cathedral Dimensions

• Overall Length from front steps to sacristy door = 307 feet • Overall Width from north to south transepts = 216 feet • Height from floor to apex of Inner Dome = 186 feet • Diameter of Dome = 96 feet • Height from floor to top of cross above the dome = 306.5 feet Masqueray Presents Cost Estimate to Building Committee

• Masqueray’s 1906 budget estimate for exterior shell with no interior embellishments = $1,000,000 • Additional cost of dome = $200,000 • Final cost of Cathedral exterior (1915) = $1,625,000 • Today’s cost to duplicate the building’s exterior and interiors is estimated at $2 Billion

August 16, 1906 – Laurer Brothers Get Contract for First Half of Foundation with Bid of $72,750 Foundation Construction The Crypt Events of 1907

• February 26, 1907: Laurer Brothers awarded contract for second half of foundation • June 2, 1907: 60,000 people attend ceremony of the Laying of the Cornerstone

Events of 1909

• January 1909: Masqueray finishes drawings • August 9, 1909: PM Hennesy awarded contract to construct Cathedral walls

The Stone

• Rockville Beige Granite sourced from Quarry in Rockville

The Stone

• Rockville Granite – Weight = 168 lbs/cubic foot – Compressive Strength = 18,521 lbs/square Inch – Silica Content = 73% • Clark and McCormack Granite Company fabricated the Saint Paul Cathedral project • Cold Spring Granite purchased Clark & McCormack Granite Company in 1942 • 250,000 cubic feet of stone supplied for the Cathedral – 21,000 tons • Shipped by Rail from Cold Spring – 21,000 tons will fill 525 rail cars at the 1910 maximum allowable load of 80,000 lbs/car Rockville Quarry The Stone

July 10, 1912: Granite Cross hoisted to top Masqueray’s stone details of East Facade were exquisite

The Steel

• September 9, 1912: J.W. Hoy Company awarded contract for roof and dome • September 19, 1912: Otto Bremer taps Saint Paul colleagues for $100,000 to cover cost of dome The Steel

• Steel provided by Saint Paul Foundry (Established in 1863) The Steel The Steel The Steel The Lantern

• The lantern is the top 65 feet of the Cathedral, and supports a 14 foot high cross

The Steel Dome Nearing Completion – 1914 Construction Fatality

• April 14, 1914: Michael Hofer falls to his death after being hit by a swinging beam Toltz Engineering – 1910 The Heating System

• H. Kelly Company Teamed with Toltz Engineering to design and construct the heating system • 3 Steam Boilers serve the Cathedral and two adjacent residences • Steam engines drive fan units providing 135 degree air to the cathedral through ductwork around the perimeter and 70 degree air to ductwork under the pews

The Heating System Events of 1914

• April 3, 1914: Firm of Beil and Hermant selected to complete ceiling and interior of dome • May 1, 1914: Exterior officially completed with hoisting of Cross atop the dome

Beil and Hermant

• Louis Hermant worked on French Pavilion for Louisiana Purchase Exposition • Hermant designed the Louis Pasteur monument in Chicago’s Grant Park

Ceiling Construction A Challenge

• All ceiling work was to be completed before first mass • In December 1914 many artisans (of French descent) returned to France to fight WWI • Working on the ceiling under the dome at 186 feet up off the floor took some courage • Only the ceiling above the sanctuary was completed before the first mass Events of 1915

• March 28, 1915: First Liturgy celebrated in the Cathedral (Palm Sunday Mass)

Events of 1917 – 1924

• 1917: Whitney Warren appointed to produce drawings for Main Altar and Baldachin • May 17, 1924: Altar and Baldachin completed • Baldachin financed by contribution from Charlotte Hill Slade

Events of 1928 – 1958

• March 17, 1928: Shrine of St. Patrick completed and dedicated • April 6, 1932: East Rose window installed – Charles J. Connick’s finest work • 1940: Cathedral substantially complete • October 14, 1958: Cathedral officially “consecrated” by Archbishop Brady

Contractors for the Cathedral of Saint Paul: 1906 – 1930

• Drake Tile and Marble • Dubuque Altar Company – pews • Fielding and Shepley – grading • Thomas Finn Roofing – copper roof • Foley Brothers – rectory, sacristy • R. M. Hennessey – superstructure • W. J. Hoy – steel work, towers, dome and steps • H. Kelly Company – heating and ventilation / Toltz Engineering • Lauer Brothers – excavation and foundation • Octave Lauwert – clerk of the works • Minuti Brothers (Now Minuti-Olge Contractors) • Nils Nielson – stone setter (Payne Avenue, Swedish Lutheran) • Nimmis & Nimmis – electrical • Northwestern Marble and Tile Co., Minneapolis – Sanctuary • Pennell, Gibbs, Quiring of Boston – Sanctuary apse Architects and Designers

• Emmanuel Masqueray – principal architect • (Whitney )Warren and Wetmore – Sanctuary, Altar and Baldachin • Maginnis & Walsh – Interior of Cathedral • McBride & Gorman – Main altar; St. Peter, Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph Chapels

Leon Hemant and John Garatti’s Facade Sculpture Over East Entrance Preserving A Masterpiece – 2013 Renovation

• Roof replacement, tuckpointing & cleaning exterior masonry by McGough Construction ($35 Million)

Preserving A Masterpiece – 2013 Renovation

• Rebuilt original Skinner & Æolian-Skinner pipe organs ($3.4 Million) • Added 1,400 pipes bringing the total to 5,970 Preserving A Masterpiece – 2015 and Beyond • Restore stained glass windows – roughly $100,000 Each Preserving A Masterpiece – 2015 and Beyond • Update heating plant • Restore ceilings damaged by leaking roof

Cathedral Heritage Foundation

• The Cathedral Heritage Foundation – Non-profit, non-sectarian, historic preservation, cultural and arts organization – Established to meet the objectives of restoring and preserving the Cathedral of Saint Paul – Provides leadership in developing educational programs to showcase the cultural, historic, and artistic influence of the Cathedral

Contributions Welcomed

• Please consider a contribution • Look for the next Festival of Lights fundraiser sponsored by the Cathedral Heritage Foundation