St. Peter's Steeple Workshop
August 24-28, 1998 Greensboro Bend, VT
Tuition: $350, $300 until Aug. 1
At the 1997 meeting of the Traditional Timberframe Research and Advisory Group (TTRAG), Joe Hammond showed slides of the recently dismantled steeple of St. Peter's Church in Freehold, New Jersey. Because of deterioration, this historic structure had to be removed from the church and until now, its future remained in doubt. The steeple will be rebuilt at Jan Lewandoski's shop during a week-long workshop to be held August 24-28 at Greensboro Bend, Vermont.
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This is a unique opportunity to work alongside one of the Guild's best craftsmen on a complex structure. | |
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The octagonal steeple, part of the original church begun in 1771, was designed by Robert Smith (1722-77), a leading builder-architect of colonial America. His steeples still punctuate the skyline of Philadelphia today.
 Jan Lewandoski, a Guild member with wide experience in both steeple and wooden bridge construction, will lead a workshop of a dozen people in the repair and reconstruction of the steeple at his shop in northern Vermont. In the workshop, participants will learn and practice repair techniques. While some of the timbers will have to be completely replaced, we'll try to preserve as much of the original fabric as possible.
Current plans call for the 30-foot tall steeple to be reassembled during the workshop and laid down on a trailer for shipment back to New Jersey. There, the St. Peter's Building Committee can display it on the church lawn and use it as a fundraiser to complete repairs on the rest of the building. At some future date, the steeple will be lifted back into place atop the church, signifying the successful completion of the building's restoration. The workshop crew will reunite to witness this event.
This is a unique opportunity to work alongside one of the Guild's best craftsmen on a complex structure, much different from the projects of past workshops. Jan looks forward to showing workshop participants some of the historic buildings of northern Vermont, as well as sharing his expertise.
Jan will be visiting the church in Freehold sometime this spring to assess the condition of the steeple's timbers. The steeple has been dismantled and is sitting in a trailer so that we can accurately define the workshop's scope and order the replacement timber. Jan will be assisted by Joe Hammond, who documented the dismantling and took more than 2,000 pictures of the process, pieces, and joinery. If any Guild members can make it to Freehold on short notice and would like to help Jan in this one-day assessment, please contact Will Beemer (workshop coordinator) at 413 623-6677 or via email at will@heartwoodschool.com.
Registration Details
Tuition for this workshop is $350 per person ($300 until Aug. 1), which includes lunch. Lodging and other meals are not included in this fee, and are your responsibility to arrange. You'll receive a list of local B&Bs, inns, and campgrounds when we receive your registration. The nicer inns charge around $50 per night for a single room, $70 for a double. Camping is, of course, the low cost option. Tuition fees are refundable up to four weeks prior to the workshop; after that, fees will be refunded only is another person can be found to take your place in the workshop. We'll also send you a map, a full description of the workshop, and a list of tools to bring. – Will Beemer
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