May 2016
After standing tall above the town of New Holland, Pennsylvania for 214 years; the steeple at St Stephen Reformed Church was showing its age. The leaning spire and deteriorating wooden lantern were being held by only two of the six support beams and needed to be stabilized until proper repairs could be made.
Paul Risk Construction was called upon to repair the leaning steeple and, due to our long-standing working relationship and commitment to excellence, they asked GSM Roofing and GSM Industrial to join the repair team. Together, we developed a plan and got to work.
The talented team at Paul Risk Construction completely restored the lantern while maintaining the rich history that was written within its walls; including a signature of the church’s builder dated 1801. GSM Roofing installed a lead coated flat seam roofing system to the base of the lantern, as well as the custom made urns and figurines to complete the look.
Since the existing spire was beyond repair, GSM Industrial fabricated a new spire for the steeple. The new spire received a lead coated standing seam roofing system before it was lifted to the steeple.
The lantern has remained unlit for the past decade, but that change when the church held a dedication and lighting of “The Beacon on the Hill” ceremony on June 16, 2016. We feel blessed to be a part of the reconstruction of church’s steeple, and love seeing the lantern shine bright above the town of New Holland again!
Click photo to enlarge
“I couldn’t have picked a better team, everything really went so well.”
Keith Kreider, Paul Risk Construction
I did get a chance to inspect the roof of this church last week. There was no damage to the roof, it is actually in quite good condition since it was installed in the late 80’s or early 90’s. The leaks they are experiencing are at the flashing transitions to the stone masonry and one at a brick masonry chimney.
But I did want to tell you that I was very impressed with Austin, the young fellow that ran the lift for me. I am not sure I have ever had such a smooth and accurately-placed ride. It wasn’t the highest roof I ever had to look at, and maybe the equipment rental was newer, but still, it was refreshing to see the competence of that young fellow.
