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Three sources will be utilized below, "Official", "Conversation" and "Observation". These are not press releases - the information has been gleaned from personal contact and observation.

Current News Updates
Archived News Updates - December 22, 2001 to February 23, 2002
Archived News Updates - November 16 to December 21, 2001
Archived News Updates - November 5 to November 11, 2001

Observation by editor: -

February 23:

The total encapsulation has finally taken place this week, three weeks after the anticipated date. It is a great relief that what structure is left is finally under cover but the huge white "cocoon" is not pretty.

There are another 2 to 3 years for Lunenburgers and visitors alike to have to look at the huge white tent. For immediate neighbours especially, it's going to be difficult.

Set on the large green, airy commons, St. John's was a very pretty and imposing structure on the landscape.

Before they were completely enclosed, the ruins suddenly looked so incredibly small inside the arches and panels.

Most of the commons has been enclosed with the protective board construction fencing.

Now none of the church is visible. [ed: pictures next week of the completed enclosure]

Photographs from Feb 3 - 16 - all enclosed except the ends

Official from emails from Edward Jordan, co-chairman along with Andrew Eisenhauer, of the Restoration Committee. -

Email Feb 19:

The Duke Street fabric installation (east, chancel end) should begin in next couple of days.

The large sign is 8 feet wide by 4 feet high, corrugated plastic, and cost St. John's $250.00. The wording and style is dictated by Parks Canada.

Email Feb 16:

We will soon start recording donations against our sector goals, such as Parish, Governments, Anglican family (other parishes and Dioceses), foundations, special names, special events, merchandising, corporations, etc.

Email Feb 4:

Needless to say, we are getting pretty discouraged with all this snow. It represents a problem both with the moisture that may find its way into the wood floor, and also places an extra load on the main floor as well.

Official from emails from Edward Jordan, co-chairman along with Andrew Eisenhauer, of the Restoration Committee. -

Emails Feb 2, Jan 31 & Jan 29:

We have issued a letter of intent to the architectural company of Fowler, Bauld and Mitchell to serve as architect on this project. The lead architect will be Bill Hyde, who was also involved in the restoration of St. George's, in Halifax, after their fire. As soon as the cover is completed, they will be here to start recording what they need to start preparing the drawings and specifications for the restoration work.

Each [ed: encapsulation] cloth panel will be continuous, from one side to the other, with no seam at the peak, or elsewhere. The material is a woven polyester cloth with a fire and ultra-violet resistant polyvinyl-chloride (PVC) coating on both sides. The overall material is about .025" thick, and has a "bolt rope" laminated into either edge to slide up the aluminum "sail track" on each steel arch member. Each cloth panel is about 12 feet wide, and spans between each of the arches. It was hoped that it could all be installed in 3 or 4 days, but that has slipped due to the low temperatures [ed: the lubricant froze, vaseline was then used], and the problems pulling the extra long lengths of cloth into place.There would be about 180 feet (55 metres) of fabric from ground level on one side, over the peak of the arch and down to ground level of the other side.

We have found out we cannot have clear material on the end [of the cocoon] because the strength of the structure depends on the fabric, and we can't get a strong enough clear material.

Editor's conversation with Kellie McIvor, conservator, January 29, 2002 -

Kellie McIvor is an accredited private conservator who was hired by the parish to restore the altar. Kellie has frequently worked with Heritage Canada/Parks Canada - for instance, she was involved a couple of years ago on the restoration of the Anne of Green Gables site in Prince Edward Island. This young woman has spent 10 days working in the parish hall. First, she vacuumed the piece, drybrushed smoke eraser, vacuumed, then used soap and water, then ethanol and mineral spirits, with masses of vacuuming in between!

The altar is made of oak. All the carvings, including the Last Supper panel, were also handcarved from oak.

Kellie's work on the main altar piece (not including the Last Supper panel) - once she had cleaned and removed as much as possible of the smoke damage - includes the following: the altar table was given three coats of varathane (yes, it is a conservation method!); it will be rubbed to remove the "grit", and then will be waxed; the vertical oak carvings and detail, once cleaned, have been given a 1/2 cut coat of shellac.

The Last Supper carving is a removable, separate insert panel. Kellie had to reglue or completely replace minute pieces in 10 or 15 areas, such as fingers and toes, that had been knocked off or disappeared. She used a wood epoxy to sculpt the missing pieces. Acrylic paint in the proper shade was then applied.

Some small scorch marks remain. There is one relatively large (about 5 inches by 3 inches) burned area at the base of the altar. Kellie used syringes to inject behind this area with B-72 glue in acetone. This stabilizes the wood so that most of the "spongeiness" is repaired and helps to keep the piece attached. If any of this piece is knocked off accidentally, it will not shatter.

Photographs - Before and After.

By the way, 3,000 long cotton swabs were used by Kellie!

Parish Appeal -

The formal appeal to parishioners will begin February 3, 2002. Parishioners will be requested to pledge funds for the restoration. This is the first stage of the formal Fundraising efforts.

Donation raised by Students (courtesy Bruce Holdbrook, one of the Wardens of Parish Council) -

On November 18, 2001, a bean supper was held by the students of Lunenburg Jr-Sr High School. A water-colour painting of the church contributed by artist Cheryl Corkum was raffled. A cheque for $2,500.00 was donated to the Restoration Fund as a result of this supper!

From the St. John's Anglican Church supplement to the weekly Parish Bulletin January 27, 2002 -

Update on Non-Structural Elements:

CHIMES: Peter Allen has done a great deal of research on the chimes. All 10 bells as well as the old tolling bell are in storage at L.I.F.E. A bell foundry in Ohio , where the records from the original manufacturer are held, have offered to analyze an audio recording of the chimes free of charge and report on their condition. The recording has been done and is ready to go. The large 'F' bell was cracked as a result of its fall from the tower. The chime stand (where the bells were played) and Edison Tanner's book of music were completely destroyed. Peter plans to rebuild the stand and has visited a church in Truro where they have a similar set of chimes. Peter's comment: "despite the losses, things are looking positive and I have no doubt that the bells of St. John's will ring again."

FABRIC/VESTMENTS: These have all been seen to, with few surviving. I [ed: Grace Swan, co-chair of Non-Structural Materials subcommittee] have rescued and stored samples of vestments, frontals, embroidery, etc. with the idea that they could be in corporated into a memorial banner at a later date.

COLOURS: A request for a volunteer to re-mount these (as per instructions from Heritage Canada) has gone into the bulletin. This cannot be done until they are moved to the Foundry Garage site where it will be cleaner.

Official from emails from Edward Jordan, co-chairman along with Andrew Eisenhauer, of the Restoration Committee. -

Emails Jan 26:

[ed: The 12th and last arch was put in place this afternoon]. The big crane was finished by about 3:30 pm and was starting back for Halifax after it loaded its 5 tons of counterweight steel off the back of the cab onto separate flatbed tractor-trailer rig. All the man-lifts will stay around till next week, to finish installing all the bracing between the frames, install the end structures, and pull the fabric into place.

There are still some braces left on the ground, to be installed. The fabric will not go in before Wednesday, as it has to be shipped here from Truro, and the lifting means set up. It will roll up from the ground on one side. Also, the tracks to carry it have to be installed on the lower portions of the uprights.

End structures are trusses just like the rest of the structure. However, I'm not sure of the detail as to how they connect to the two end frames. They will simply sit on the ground, on short lengths of steel beams like the sides, again anchored into the ground. There will be doors at ground level, and large ventiation louvers near to peaks of the gable ends.

[ed: Ed Jordan has been using a digital camera to document everything since November 1, 2002 for the parish. To date, he has about 57 MBs of photographs]

Donations are about $270,000.

Photographs of steelwork assembled, being hoisted and final placement of arches - January 19 - 26

Email Jan 25

The last 4 frames should go up tomorrow. When I left around 3:15, no.7 was up and being fastened down, and the 8th was being prepared on the ground. They finally got the correct 90' reach man-lift in place by noon, and that speeded work up. There are a total of 12 arches. The big crane will take itself apart, ready for heading back to Halifax in the parking lot at the Foundry tomorrow afternoon, probably around 2 pm. The man-lifts will stay, for the installation of the fabric next week.

Emails Jan 23:

Well, when I left at 5 pm, it is still on for tomorrow. The Steeplejack's crew was working late tonight, to have as much ready as possible before tomorrow. The streets (Cumberland and Duke) will be closed off from 7 am tomorrow, and the crane is to be in place by 11 am to begin work. When I left, they were starting to place the lower trusses on the Cumberland Street side, having finished the Townsend side, so it looks like they might make it.

We had three representatives from Parks Canada here today (Wednesday) to deliver the cheque for the first $10,000 of the $100,000 offered by Minister Copps on her visit to the site in November. The balance will come when we make a major payment on the costs of the enclosure. They also explained what architectural help they are offering, which is to convert the set of stereo photos of the church interior that they have, into a set of cross section, or elevation drawings. This will be great help in furthering our estimating, and planning process. They promised the drawings by mid-April, although we would have been happier to see them sooner. However, we accept any assistance we can get.

They also explained the further process that we have to go through in order to obtain the major funding, of up to $1 million for the restoration of the historical fabric of the building.This money is in the form of matching grants. That is, we must spend $2 million on only eligible work, before they will contribute 50%, or $1 million. Modern equipment, such as the electrical system, heating and ventilating systems, etc. don't qualify for these grants. We will be starting along the application process for this right away.

It could be our own "fundraised" money, our insurance, Provincial money, etc.

[ed: when Heritage Canada minister Sheila Copps mentioned "matching grants", it appeared that such a grant would be only available matched against other levels of government grants. This is apparently not so]

The anchor rods (actually they are threaded rods, not rebar) are fastened to a saddle that goes over the base beams. There are turnbuckles between the rods and the saddle, one on either side, to take up any eventual settlement of the ground.

[ed: these 1 inch diameter anchor rods are 8 feet into the ground and are tested to hold 20,000 psi on a 3 inch ram. There are 12 arches, positioned north - south over the church. These arches are attached to 20 foot high trusses which, in turn, are anchored to steel base beams. There are 3 base beams on each side of the church, 4 arches & their trusses are attached to each beam 12 feet apart.- thanks to Ben Smith!]

Email Jan 20:

Arches are 75 feet across. Tops will be 40 feet above ground level when finished.

Official from emails from Edward Jordan, co-chairman along with Andrew Eisenhauer, of the Restoration Committee. -

Email Jan 19:

We just got word late this afternoon that Lombard Insurance Co. will make a major payment on the policy on the building and contents as one wrap-around item. That means we will receive about $1.87 million from them by the middle of next week. They held 75% of the insured policy value, and Ecclesiastical Insurance Co. held the other 25%. We received the Lombard payment of about $625,000 last week.

As of this afternoon, the Steeplejack crews had assembled six of the top sections of the arches for the cover. There are six more to be shipped and assembled. Another load of material is coming tomorrow (Saturday), and they will be working on site to unload and assemble them.

The Steeplejack crews were also on site testing the strength of the soil anchors that have been driven into the ground to anchor the cover. All the anchor rods, which are 1 inch steel bars with expanded feet below ground, have been driven in.

The schedule is still set for Wednesday, January 23rd, to begin hoisting the arches into place. The crane will be a 125 ton unit from Sagadore Cranes of Halifax and will work from Cumberland Street between Duke and Cornwallis Streets. The street will be closed to traffic while the crane is working. It may take two days to hoist all the arches.

Once the arches are up, the aluminum extrusion that holds the plastic cover material will be bolted in place, then the cover sheets will be pulled into place. We are investigating whether we may be able to have clear sheeting on the west end, so that spectators can still see the building, and what is happening inside. This may not be possible if strong enough material can't be found.

Photographs of the arches arriving Thursday, January 17, 2002

Email Jan 17:

Unsolicited funds level $220,000 (and counting).

We signed the agreement with Heritage Canada this week. The money [$100,000] is in two lots - the first for "stabilization of the remaining structure" gives us $10,000. We submitted about $12,000 in bills out of $20,000 that we have spent to justify this. Parks Canada (Halifax) have approved these, and are requisitioning a cheque for the $10,000 from Supply and Services Department in Dartmouth. Parks Canada have offered to deliver the cheque to us next week, assuming it comes through. We will receive the remainder of $90,000 once we submit a bill for the $240,000 cover.

Four or six arches will be assembled on the ground in front of the church, stacked on top of each other (lying flat).

Both the Town of Lunenburg and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, along with others, have supported SJAL's application under the Canada-Nova Scotia Infrastructure Program. This application is to be hand-delivered to Halifax Friday.

Official from email from Edward Jordan, co-chairman along with Andrew Eisenhauer, of the Restoration Committee. -

Email Jan 2: We heard from Clearspan that our cover is delayed until next week, now. Seems they did not get delivery of the base I beams over the holidays. The steel frames are 75% welded, and are going regularly though the galvaniser in Burnside, so they will be available as soon as the base beams are.

Our phone lines in the trailer were installed today. No phones yet though!

Observations by the editor, along with conversations with Ed during another tour of the interior , as well as conversation with him on Jan 5: -

The boiler and fan under the floor are still going, keeping the warm air flowing through in an attempt to keep the mould from spreading. As of Jan 5, the feeling is that there is no further spread of the mould. Possible solutions to remedy the mould are still in the future.

The parish has hired one young man as a paid employee. One of his jobs after Christmas was to keep shovelling the ice and snow into containers as we had a substantial snowfall the day after Christmas. The snow, of course, turned to ice as the temperature dropped. The containers, and/or wheelbarrow, then have to be moved to the exterior of the church for dumping. He literally had to stand on top of the pews in order to get the shovel down between the pews where the snow and ice had pooled in the tarps - a cold, slow and painstaking process..

When the pews are eventually removed from the interior, they will be stored in a large indoor unheated facility near the town.

Virtually all the charcoal debris has been removed from the chancel.

The extant painted panels in the chancel are just beautiful! When inspected up close, the artwork is so fine and so detailed. Apparently, they cannot be covered safely from the elements as polyethylene rips in our winds and allows water to drip down behind etc. So they remain uncovered. The professional advice has been to let them be exposed rather than damage them by removing them improperly. Goodness knows what kind of paint Miss/Mrs. Page used - it is still perfect even after the fire and two months of being exposed to the vagaries of our coastal weather and sunlight!

In the entrance of the nave, there was (most recently) a diagonal tongue-and-groove wood ceiling under the balcony. At some point in time, the original plaster ceiling had been covered up. This original plaster ceiling was delicately painted or stencilled - portions here and there have been exposed.

The walls of this section were (most recently) vertical curved tongue-and-groove wood. At some point in time, the original plaster walls had been covered over. The original walls have also been exposed in places, and they were straight - not curved. Again, the original plaster walls were delicately painted or stencilled.

Conversations with Ed Jordan on December 28 and January 5: -

Negotiations are well underway with regard to hiring an architect. During the coming week (written Jan 5), a signed contract should be in place.

Target date to get SJAL "under cover" is still the end of January.

The Project Manager is Ron Cahoon from Hanscomb Ltd. Mr. Cahoon was involved with the restoration of St. George's Anglican Church in Halifax after that fire. He is "onsite" at times but is still spending most of his time in Halifax at the moment as it is his job to prepare the financial estimate for the restoration. In order to do this, he must obtain quotes from subcontractors and suppliers.

The unsolicited donation level stands at approximately $180,000, along with the securites mentioned in the last update below.

Formal Fundraising will begin at the parish level (parishioners will be asked to contribute to the restoration). Then, probably in the spring, formal fundraising efforts will be extended beyond the parish members. The committee is already looking at all levels of government support possibilities.

A $5,000 USD donation has apparently been given by a US pastor. Paul Williams of New York was in Lunenburg on September 11, 2001 shooting footage for his TV show. His "Go Ye Christian Mission" has sent the cheque in the mail.

MORE LINKS:

Photographs of the church before, during and after the fire:

November 1, 2001 - The Burning
November 2, 2001 - The Aftermath
The interior after the burning - November 2001
The interior clean up progress - December 7, 2001 and December 28, 2001
The exterior encapsulation progress - January 16, 2002, January 23 - 27, 2002, January 31, 2002, February 7 - 15, 2002 and February 23 - March 2, 2002
Non-structural elements
The restoration of the altar
The exterior before
The interior before
The interior Christmas 1991
"Simon Birch" 1997

Canadian Heritage Minister, Sheila Copps, commits financial assistance at parish hall meeting November 16, 2001
Photograph of Solomon Morash, master builder in charge of the 1892 changes
A Short History of St. John's Anglican Church
People buried under the Church 1761 - 1826
Anglican Diocese of Nova Scotia Historical and Architectural Survey and relevant Links - outside link
The Commemoration of St. John's Anglican Church as a National Historic Site October 11, 1998
Interesting Facts & Figures about St. John's