A Work of Heart

Restoration and expansion project brings new life to a rural community church

A small Catholic church in Greeley was expanded and remodeled on a tight budget to meet the needs of a growing congregation.

Photo by Jackie Shumaker

Nestled into Colorado's rolling northeastern plains, Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Greeley is part of a Hispanic community rich in culture. Comprised primarily of working families — farmers, construction and maintenance workers, nurses and teachers— this post-World War II parish supports a growing population.

As the congregation grew, attempts to accommodate its more than 600 families became increasingly challenging. With six weekly worship services, 45 baptisms a month and numerous quinceañera celebrations, seating capacity was limited. The aging building was simultaneously falling apart and bursting at the seams, but church leaders had little money to spend on a new facility. Raising funds to remodel the church stretched the families' modest pocketbooks, and the parish struggled for six years to raise $1.5 million for the project.

The church asked Denver's Eidos Architects and Fransen Pittman General Contractors, also from Denver, to help breathe new life into the heart of this rural community. The project team was quickly put to the test in building an addition on each side of the existing facility that matched materials from another era. The church was originally built with native sand brick, Italian roof tiles, ornate plaster trim and rich stained glass. When the initial design came in 40 percent over budget, Fransen Pittman sat down with Eidos to reduce the scope without compromising the project's goals. The contractor assured the parish that the team would do "whatever it took" to add new space that blended seamlessly with the original, said Our Lady of Peace's Father Bernie Schmitz.

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Searching & Recycling

As a result, the vintage tile was removed, salvaged, restored and meticulously put back in place in such a way that it blended perfectly with the new roof tile. Meanwhile Fransen Pittman combed the state for old brick to match the new north and south wings to the original masonry. Although labor intensive and more costly for the contractor, these challenges were crucial pieces of a concentrated effort to save the parish money while honoring its history.

Work was staged to demolish the existing 40-ft-high concrete foundation wall and two brick pilasters supporting the first floor and roof trusses while simultaneously erecting steel supports from above and below. As the exterior bearing walls were demolished, steel erection was carefully sequenced to ensure the original structure was supported.

Fire hazard safety was strictly enforced while welding the steel shoring in the old church's attic. A bit of insulation was removed first to see if it would burn - it didn't. Then team members were placed on a fire watch during the welding and demo. In a precisely choreographed effort, shoring went up alongside basement walls that were being torn down.

Patience & Creativity

While matching the original brick and roof tiles required time and determination, other aspects of the restoration called for patience and creativity. The church's heavy stained-glass windows were delicately removed and preserved by meticulously chipping out the grout and, in what seemed like slow motion, nudging out each fragile casement inch by inch.

Another intricate detail - the ornate ram's horn design of the original arches - was carefully replicated in an old-fashioned process. Fransen Pittman superintendent Steve Martinson removed one of the decorative elements, placed it inside a box and poured a latex mold over the stone model to create a duplicate. This process was repeated, with the capacity to produce just two copies each day, to outfit the church's 20 new arches.

"It took a lot of time," Martinson said. "Few people do plaster molding like this any more, but it was worth the effort."

"This was a very intense little project," added architect Bob Saas, noting that the massive transformation also required Fransen Pittman to coordinate several groups outside its contract.

Safety & Collaboration

The parishioners volunteered time and materials where possible in an effort to keep the costs down. This added not only to the coordination challenges but also heightened the project's focus on safety. Fransen Pittman maintained its regular weekly jobsite safety meetings and held mock weekly OSHA audits. Daily safety checks were especially crucial during excavation. As is customary on Fransen Pittman projects, AGC/C Safety and Health Director Dan Milinazzo walked the site each month to provide an extra set of eyes, keeping the job accident free.

"You can talk about competitive pricing," said Walt Wostenberg, director of construction and engineering for the owner, the Denver Archdiocese, "and certainly that's important, but at the end of the day, it's absolutely necessary to have trustworthy people doing the work for you."

The restoration and addition were completed in just seven months. The existing barrel-vaulted ceiling and wood trusses were expanded into the addition. Old wood framing was restored, stairways rebuilt, and furnaces, air conditioning and fire protection added. An elevator was built inside the original building, connecting the basement and the choir loft.

The project's crown jewel, a bell discovered on a nearby farm, was hoisted into the vacant tower, 36-ft off the ground, in a feat that required multiple ladders, teamwork and resolve. Today, as the refurbished bell tolls to welcome the Our Lady of Peace community, the parish gathers to worship and celebrate in a carefully remodeled building.

"It's a little miracle this happened," said Schmitz, referring to the complexity of the project. "I was almost convinced we couldn't do it. But the new church is a true collaborative effort."

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