Rebuilding
For six months, from January to July 2000, parishoner Alan Edwards wrote a weekly series of "Construction updates" to chronicle the progress of rebuilding the church.
Jan. 16, 2000
The demolition phase of St. Ann's construction project has begun. The asbestos has been removed from the floors in the basement, Howe Hall, Martin Hall and from around some electrical panels.
The stained glass has been removed from St. Ann's and taken to Emmanuel Stained Glass Company. We have contracted with them to sort, clean and crate our windows for storage. The windows will be stored at LifeWay Christian Resources (formerly the Baptist Sunday School Board) gratis for three years, if needed.
The Parent Company is on tap to begin demolishing the interior of our buildings next week.
Our architects are drawing the construction documents and beginning to work on the finishes. Will Hendricks, Allen Finley and Sadie Cost have been appointed to serve as a Furnishings Committee. They will work with the subcommittee of Mission and Ministry to create a budget of soft costs. We are expected to bid out our project in early February.
Jan. 23, 2000
We cruise down Woodland Street (yawn) as usual.
As we pass St. Ann's, we suddenly notice heavy equipment in the middle or our debris pile, and it's pulling out wreckage. Our eyes shift to the driver of the backhoe. But wait! It is not Tom Hardin this time! Does this mean...? YES, The Parent Company is on site and WORK HAS BEGUN!!!
Unbelieving of what we have seen, we return the next day, our gaze trained in the direction of the old foundation. Our foot hits the brake and we slow to a crawl as we try to comprehend what we are seeing. Our ruin has never looked tidier.
An image flashes in our mind. We envision the old foundation wall as a home for a labyrinth and garden paths sloping gently upward to a new narthex and Great Hall. A warm glow washes over us. The horn honking behind us breaks the spell. We drive on, determined to return tomorrow.
Jan. 30, 2000
Tuesday night at the Edgefield Bar and Grill: I am shocked by the suggestive nature of the proposition I have just heard. "When we gut the second floor from inside Martin Hall, what keeps the exterior walls from caving in?" Hmmm... "Prayer," for once seems an inadequate response.
"I'm not completely sure," would not sound much better. So I order my inquisitive friend a glass of wine and ask, "What about them Titans?"
Wednesday morning at 419 Woodland Street: I meet the structural engineer on site. I pop the question. The engineer explains his reason for being there today is to design a series of concealed vertical and horizontal steel trusses that will be put in place to fortify the walls prior to the removal of the upstairs. I am relieved, because now I can look forward to my next cheeseburger down the street.
Feb. 6, 2000
Our parish's mission statement reads: "St. Ann's is a growing Episcopal community that strives for inclusion." We have been doing better than we thought. Demolition has revealed a growing community of termites included themselves as we congregated in Martin Hall. At parish dinners, these guests were eating the columns and overhead beams in the nursery. Fortunately, those support elements are being removed, anyway, and replaced elsewhere with new material to enlarge this space for the choir.
When the most recent staircase to the upper level of Martin Hall was built, the carpenter cut through original support beams to do it. When The Parent Company removed the walls and saw how poorly the stairs were supported, wood studs immediately were added to keep them from collapsing until the upper level can be removed. The choir has been using these stairs for years! (Oddly, most of the potentially catastrophic areas are connected to the choir.)
In Howe Hall, some of the wood supports from the last remodeling have come loose from their nails or have begun splitting, due in part to their having been undersized or inadequately attached. Loving hands and glad hearts could not compensate for an apparent lack of money and knowledge of structural engineering.
These conditions affirm we made the right decision in investing our resources into a full rehabilitation and remodeling of Martin and Howe Halls. A superficial approach, such as providing new finishes only, would have been a misuse of time and money. All of the structural problems within our building can be corrected readily and affordably now that we know about them The quality of our stewardship toward our historic home has never been greater or more certain.
Feb. 13, 2000
Good news! Our architects completed our construction drawings the morning of Wednesday, February 9th, and the sheets went to the printing company for mass reproduction promptly that same afternoon. Tom Pirtle of The Parent Company received the sets of drawings the following day, Thursday, February 10th.
Tom is requiring a couple of days to study the drawings and develop bid packages around them. Tom expects to distribute the packages to subcontractors of various trades on Monday, February 14, (our St. Ann's Valentine's card will read "Invitation To Bid"). Subcontractors typically need two weeks to formulate an estimate on a project the size of ours. The bid date will be February 29. All I can say is, it is a good thing that this is a leap year, or we would have to wait another four years to receive our competitive subcontract bids.
Feb. 20, 2000
As announced last week, the construction drawings were distributed for subcontract bids this past Monday. On that same day, the parish received its set, which so far has been reviewed by the M&M "Group of Three" along with members of Implementation, the Vestry, and the office staff. Everyone is impressed with how thorough and detailed the drawings are.
Feb 24, 2000
Our bid date is still set for Tuesday, February 29th. By noon on that date, we will have received competitive bids on 95 percent of our construction project; the remaining 5 percent of the work will be performed by The Parent Company itself on a "time and material" basis. Between now and bid time, The Parent Company is working-up its projected cost on that 5 percent of the project. Also, in the meantime, the "M&M 3" and the Furniture and Finishes Committee are finalizing their pricing of items not in the bid documents, such as stained glass restoration, Nave seating, the altar, classroom furniture, signs, office furnishings, etc...
However, this does not mean that, by the end of the day on the 29th, we will know for sure our total construction costs. Why? Because rather than doing a simple tabulation (taking the lowest bid from each category at face value), The Parent Company will need a couple of days to fully analyze the bids, to make sure all necessary work has been included. For example, a particular electrical contractor could appear to have the low bid, but what if he left off all the low voltage control wiring to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, assuming the mechanical contractor had included it? Or what if both the mechanical and electrical contractors had included it, so that we would be paying twice? No matter how carefully plans are drawn and specifications are written, such bid errors sometimes occur, as estimators are only human. The Parent Company knows all of the common glitches to clarify.
The Parent Company hopes to have completed its analysis by the end of the bid week, no later than Friday, March 3rd. The M&M 3 and members of Implementation will review the conclusions during the days immediately following, in time to present a total construction cost to the Vestry at a special called Vestry meeting on Tuesday night, March 7th; the Vestry will meet immediately following the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper (unfortunately, this means that I will not be able to eat all the leftover sausage, as I did last year).
The Parent Company's total construction cost, plus a 5 percent contingency to cover changes or additions we might wish to make along the way, will become a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) to be included in our contract with The Parent Company. Immediately upon the Vestry's approval of the GMP, and its inclusion in our contract, The Parent Company can mobilized to begin the construction phase of our project. To date, we still are on track to be back home on Christmas Eve 2000.
March 5, 2000
As those of you at church this morning are reading this under fluorescent lighting, take a really close look at your hand. Note in particular the skin tone. Commit it to memory as best as possible.
Next, at your first convenient opportunity, step out into the natural sunlight (this is not an enticement to leave the worship area prior to Eucharist). Take another look at your hand. Look better? -- more colorful? -- more alive?
This is because standard fluorescent ("cool white") lighting dulls color. Everything in the room becomes drab -- people's flesh, people's clothing, people's moods. Even so, cool white was a considerable improvement over the earlier "warm white" tubes, whose yellow hue made everyone appear to be suffering from the same jaundice.
Now, there is an alternative, and the bidding process has proven that we can afford it in our new home. "Full Spectrum" also known as "Color Correcting" fluorescent lighting recreates the full range of natural sunlight. It yields true color to everything in the room. A room glows and becomes more inviting. This type of fluorescent lighting will be the standard throughout the building, in keeping with our stated commitment to make our new home "a more welcoming place" architecturally.
However, the lighting renovations do not stop there. In all of the classrooms and meeting rooms, there will be a second alternative, dimmable track lighting. This will enable us to do everything from highlighting art on the walls to lowering the lighting level during periods of meditation and prayer. This additional option, also proven affordable for us, will help fulfill our desire to make every area of our new building as multipurpose as possible, in the name of good stewardship of our construction dollars.
I once heard our Rector state, "A church building in itself is not the house of God so much as a house for God's people." We are going to find that lounging around the house has never felt more comfortable.
March 12, 2000
As announced last Sunday, the construction bids came in low enough to place our project within the budget affordable to us. Once the bids were reviewed and analyzed for completeness and accuracy, the Vestry immediately approved the Guaranteed Maximum Price to be added as an amendment to our contract with The Parent Company.
This means that we are moving from the Demolition Phase to the Construction Phase. In reality, The Parent Company already had started some new construction. For example, several walls being removed in Howe Hall contained support members which held up the attic deck above. Rather than replace these posts with temporary measures, The Parent Company determined that it would be more cost efficient to the church to go ahead and install the permanent supports. As another example, with the eventual removal of "Donna's Old Office" there will be a new roof line, and a dormer window to match those existing. The Parent Company already installed the rafters for this new roof section, and made provisions for the framing of the window. Superintendent Jimmy Denson has placed a great deal of priority on the productivity of his labor force.
Does this mean we are finished with demolition? Oh, no; it takes considerable time to finish wrecking a slum as mammoth as ours. Those of you who have driven past the building this week will have noticed that we are in the process of tearing out the exterior entrance to Howe Hall (this point will become an interior transition from the mezzanine overlooking the new foyer and circular stairway; incidentally, the brick currently being removed is being saved to be used inside this general area as not to completely "lose" the past). Also, it will not be possible to remove the second floor deck of Martin Hall until we have installed the (concealed) structural steel diaphragm which will shore up the exterior walls.
The structural steel leads us to another important matter. The first step of the Construction Phase is that of Submittals. That is, all of the various trades must submit shop drawings of the materials and methods they intend to use, and these submittals are reviewed by The Parent Company, the architects, the appropriate engineers, and the church's representatives (the Implementation group), in order to assure we receive the quality of construction specified in our bid criteria. It takes approximately two weeks for subcontractors to assemble these documents, and another two weeks (plus two aspirin) for all of the other parties to study and return them. As this time always has been built into our schedule, please do not be concerned if it is another month before our corner becomes a "hubbub" of activity. Then again, considering how our construction company always seems to stay one step ahead of us...
March 19, 2000
"It's because I told you I joined the NRA, isn't it?"
"What are you talking about?" I ask my lunch companion.
"The reason you wouldn't let me bid on the paint job for your church was because you are still mad over finding out that I belong to the NRA. Tell me the truth."
Once again, I explain to my friend that The Parent Company, not myself, proposed the subcontractors who comprised the bidders' list, and that they did so based on which companies they had found over recent years to be the most affordable, reliable and skilled. I remind my buddy that, while several Vestry members reviewed and approved the list, we chose not to alter it for several reasons: (1) general contractors can work most efficiently when using subcontractors with whom they are familiar, (2) those subcontractors already are accustomed to the minute detail and documentation which The Parent Company requires in the pricing of additions or "change orders" to the contract, and (3) we wanted to be completely objective when reviewing items such as pricing and material submittals by not having our friends involved. "Why do you think I did not allow my own company to bid the electrical work?" I ask.
"Because I happen to know that your boss belongs to the NRA," my friend retorts.
For those who are interested in knowing the various subcontractors who will be working with us, following is the list of low-bidders (among an average of three bidders per category, a somewhat standard number for a project of this size):
- Masonry - Wasco, Inc.
- Roofing - R. D. Herbert and Sons Co.
- Flooring - Ceildeck Corporation
- Reinforcing Steel - McCarthy, Jones and Woodard
- Structural Steel - Snake Steel, Inc.
- Concrete - Metro Ready Mix Concete Co.
- Painting and Wall Covering - Kenneth Duncan
- Electrical - Travis Electric Co.
- Landscaping - Greathouse Landscaping Co.
- Acoustical Ceilings - Ceildeck Corporation
- Millwork - Woodbine Mill and Lumber Co., Inc.
- Mechanical (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Plumbing) - The Comfort Group
- Metal Studs and Drywall - Spectrum Interiors
March 26, 2000
With construction underway, the Implementation Group will step more toward the forefront. What will Implementation do, exactly?
Thank you for asking. But first ...
New Orleans. Labor Day weekend. "Southern Decadence." A three day festival in the gayer districts of the French Quarter. Thousands upon thousands of visitors join the locals each year. Sunday. Major event: Parade of the Drag Queens. More of a pub crawl, really. Stretches for miles of city blocks. Never a predesignated route each year. Lasts throughout the afternoon. Then the evening. And then the night. Starts at high noon. Corner of Decatur St. and Esplanade Ave. Hundreds of drag queens. Hundreds of admirers. Know instinctively to gather at this spot every year. Don't need all that publicity to remember. The Golden Lantern. A very small pub on the corner. Always the one and only sure establishment on the route. Entire crowd hangs out of it. Pouring into the streets. Pressing toward the bar. Ready for a drink.
I remember the brave, young, mounted police officer who gallantry came galloping up through the oak-shaded esplanade. With his horse finally agreeing to go forward, the rider in blue made his way slowly into the thick of the mob. Whenever he actually succeeded in getting a queen's attention, the naive officer would ask (in a voice increasingly weakening), "Who is in charge, here?" The mute stares the policeman received in return could not have shown a more puzzled expression had he been asking for the Theory of Relativity. His question remained unanswered until the first queen to climb a lamppost pointed to her choice for the next bar. The people saw. Clear direction at last. Movement.
Building at St. Anns. Do you sympathize with the policeman? So many stages. So many groups. So who is in charge? Answer: the Vestry always is "in charge" of matters concerning the laity. Because the buck stops with the Vestry; in turn the full Vestry has the final word on any decisions or undertakings involving big bucks. Construction certainly is no exception.
So how does Implementation fit in? Again, thanks for asking. Sorry. No space left. Next week. Sunday the 2nd. A discussion of Implementation. After APRIL FOOLS Day!
April 2, 2000
My neighbor, Gene, stays furious at our area's post office (the downtown Arcade branch) because of the chronic late afternoon delivery to our building. One day while in the Arcade, I witnessed Gene giving a postal worker a piece of his mind: "You are nothing but a clerk - as a Federal Civil Service employee, you are the world's most overpaid clerk, but you are a clerk nonetheless and I am wasting my time talking to you." Gene abruptly sniffed, turned and walked off. This dressing-down did not result in an improvement in our delivery.
Frankly, the Implementation Group is not much more than a clerk. A clerk with six heads and 12 arms, but a clerk nonetheless. For example, today we are meeting to complete a form the bank needs to process our construction loan.
As a further example, over the next several weeks, Implementation will be receiving submittals and shop drawings from The Parent Company on behalf of its subcontractors. However, filling-in the blanks regarding the final selection of specific finishes, such as color choices, is the job of a group of our parish's designer volunteers. Implementation basically shuffles these documents between this group and the other entities who also must sign ff on them (architects, engineers, etc...). Implementation's own review of the submittals, just before returning them to the construction manager, will be primarily for completeness. "Coordination" perhaps is the appropriate keyword here.
The information on returned "approved" submittals will be transferred by The Parent Company onto purchase orders for the materials St. Ann's will buy direct in order to use its tax exempt status. These purchase orders first will be reviewed by Implementation for continuity and signed. Then, after they have been returned and the material released, Implementation will monitor the shipment of materials, compare this to the partial billings, approve payments and maintain a log of all of the partial invoices charged to each purchase order and a balance of the money remaining (this is why both treasurers are involved with the Implementation effort).
Should material be shipped to town but stored off-site in a warehouse, it will be the job of Implementation to require a certificate of insurance for off-site storage.
Implementation also approves monthly pay applications from The Parent Company. This involves reviewing supporting documentation such as payroll records, invoices for equipment rentals, and miscellaneous materials (too incidental for purchase orders). At the onset of each review, Implementation gives our bookkeeper advanced notice of a pending payment, in order to assure that money is transferred from our high interest account for a timely payment.
April 9, 2000
Persons passing by the corner might consider it odd that construction activity appears to have wound down a bit. This is because the next major endeavor is the removal of the second floor deck in Martin Hall, which cannot be achieved until the structural steel is in place there. Prior to that, however, the steel shop drawings must be submitted and approved (our Construction Manager tells me he is attempting to speed up this typically time-consuming process), hence the on-site lull we predicted several weeks ago, always built-in to the schedule. So is nothing happening in the meantime? Far from it. This week, let's check in with Leigh MacMillan: "Even though construction is underway, the subcommittee of Mission and Ministry (the so-called 'Group of 3') that has been working with the architects over the course of the past year is not off the hook yet. As construction proceeds, the Group of 3 will continue to meet with the architects as needed, to discuss any changes to the design." (Alan's note: The project coming in under budget has left us with some leeway to consider a few extra amenities; currently, the Group of 3 is slated to evaluate six "extras" -- including such varied items as a landscape sprinkler system, electrical recessed floor outlets in the Great Hall, and new counter tops in the kitchen.)
What else is the group doing? Back to Leigh: "The Group of 3 also is working with the Liturgical Research Committee and the architects to develop design ideas for liturgical furnishings and the columbarium. We plan to commission an altar, ambo (lectern), and columbarium, and we are considering how best to incorporate artifacts that survived the tornado into these new pieces. In addition, this group is considering the placement of (and design for) flowers, candles, aumbry (reserve sacrament), and cross." (Alan's note: While not a part of our contract with the Construction Manager, liturgical furnishings always have been included in our overall construction budget.)
Thanks to Leigh, Mark Brown, and Meg Sherrill for their continued hard work.
Next week, we will hear a progress report from Sadie Cost, whose group is making decisions regarding the selection of other (non-liturgical) furniture, as well as finishes and fixtures.
April 16, 2000
When construction drawings were put out for bids, it became apparent that another task-oriented group was necessary to select "finishes" such as color schemes and furnishings. St. Ann's is fortunate to have several parishioners with professional design backgrounds, and three of them -- Sadie Cost, Allen Finely, and Will Hendricks -- agreed to volunteer their time and talents. Sadie offers the following update:
The Finishings Committee is working closely with Martin Shofner and Ned Ruykhaver, our architects, to blend their vision with St. Ann's own sense of style and community.
Seating has been chosen for Martin Hall, although we are still working on the arrangement.
We also are in the process of choosing interior finishes. Some of the samples we are sorting through include: carpets, treads, rubber nosing for stairs, wall colors, folding doors, room partitions, bathroom fixtures, toilet partitions, plastic laminate, hand rails, and tiles.
Soon we will be selecting furniture for the Great Hall and Office Areas.
Alan's note: In spite of the term "finishes", Sadie's group actually is under substantial pressure to make many of these decisions relatively soon, in order that we may complete the submittal data which then becomes incorporated into purchase orders, which in turn must be completed in the
near future in order to assure timely delivery of materials. We very much appreciate all the hard work being done!
Next week, we will catch everyone up on what has been happening in the interior since we last looked.
April 23, 2000
Following brunch today, the construction site will be open to those who wish to tour it. Progress we will see since the last visit includes:
Exterior -- Most of the grading has been done at the West and front sides of the building. Particularly noticeable is the excavation for the stairwell down to the Undercroft Administrative Suite and the new basement level under the Great Hall. The front of Howe Hall has been removed at both the main and lower levels in anticipation of the new foyer buildout.
Undercroft -- The old organ bellows basement has been dug-out and the floor leveled for a new conference room, which is intended to showcase the old stone and brick foundation walls. The removal of two block walls with mud infill (of approximately 40 square feet) combined with the demolition of the old stairwell has created a space for a lobby and reception area. The ceiling has been restored to an 8-foot height, and the doors to each room have been widened.
Howe Hall -- A mechanical equipment room has been framed in the attic space. Most of the new wood studs have been installed to form the new main level floor plan. Some of these walls already have insulation and rough-in for electrical work. The sub-flooring is laid in most areas.
Martin Hall -- Above, the new roofline is complete. Old rafters removed from elsewhere were used where possible for both economy and sentimentality. The grid system is in place for the new cathedral ceiling. The ceiling joists of the dormers have been arched to correspond with their windows. Below, a partial wall along the old nursery has been removed to open up the new choir space.
Kitchen -- Currently, the ceiling is removed to accommodate new air-handling units. A new dropped ceiling to be installed will not be quite as low as the old one. Other design elements in the kitchen are yet to be determined, as this is a work in progress. We are not yet certain what the end result will be, but please rest assured that this is not it.
April 30, 2000
During the Easter Sunday tour, one of the most frequent questions asked us regarded what plans, if any, were in place for restoring stained glass windows. We realized that the only announcement about restoration had been a verbal one during a Sunday service several weeks ago, so anyone absent that day was unaware of the work to be done. Therefore, I've asked Mark Brown to catch everyone up to date:
"After reviewing the final plans for Howe and Martin Halls, the stained glass committee felt that three windows could most effectively be used. Two of the windows will go behind the
altar, in the new chancel addition. They are the Good Samaritan and one of the Mary windows that was a part of the same triptych. These are the best surviving figural windows and are approximately 80% intact; the third window of that triptych was completely destroyed."
(Alan's note: Stained glass appraisers have informed us that these windows are as significant artistically as the St. Paul door, simply less famous.) "Unfortunately, the windows that were behind the altar in the old Nave are too tall for this space and therefore will be stored until the new Nave is built."
"While everyone was aware that the glass in the St. Paul door was by Tiffany, not as many people are aware that the transom from the narthex into the old Nave was also a Tiffany. While this window was still in place after the tornado, it did suffer some damage, consisting mostly of deflection of the glass. It will be restored and installed over the new entrance from the old foundation (to be the labyrinth garden) into the new Great Hall." (Alan's note: Are you having trouble remembering this window? That may be because it never received natural light before; now it will glow in all of its glory. It is tacky to speak of how much one's possessions are worth. OK, so call me tacky. This window is appraised at $55,000.)
"The remainder of our windows have been cataloged, sorted, and crated. They will be stored at the LifeWay Christian Resources offices free of charge, thanks to arrangements made by Will Hendricks."
Next week, Mark will tell us about some exciting plans for a new window (using some of our old glass) to be commissioned and hung at the baptismal font.
May 7, 2000
In spite of intermittent rain, our project superintendent, Jimmy Denson, has been successful in pouring the foundation for the new entrance and Great Hall. As such a feat requires several dry work days in a row, Jimmy's achievement involved some rather precise scheduling. Speaking of scheduling, we are right on track, which is lucky; the weather was only accommodating enough that even one additional afternoon of rain most likely would have thrown us behind an entire week. While the foundation is not visible from the street, to see it one needs only to visit the site with us one Sunday after Hospitality and peer into the hole in the ground. As it is difficult to make concrete and steel rebar exciting (short of falling into that hole), let's return to our discussion of stained glass.
Last week, Mark Brown explained the manner in which our nicest surviving windows are undergoing restoration. However, the finished building will be an intriguing combination of the old and the new, spanning several different periods while transcending any one of them, therefore eluding being pigeonholed into a single style. More than merely bridging the past, present, and future, much of the design merges these elements of time. The stained glass window at the baptismal font is a good example. Explains Mark:
"This commission, directly behind the font (when viewed from the Martin Hall Nave) and overlooking the weekday entrance of the building (from the mezzanine level above the circular stairway) accomplishes several tasks. First is to preserve a piece of the Bartell windows. This triptych was on the West side of the Nave, mid way along the space, and was imported from an English stained glass studio. One of the windows had a baptismal font in the top medallion, and we want to incorporate this into the new window. Second, we want the font to be visible as one walks into the foyer, consequently, part of the glass in this window will be clear. Finally, for liturgical reasons, we want the window immediately to convey a suggestion of water; therefore, we also are using opaque drapery glass to convey this impression."
Alan's note: A review of the portfolios of a number of stained glass studios from across the country provides evidence that usage of several different types of glass (colored and not, clear and opaque) within the same window is the direction in which many of the more prestigious craftspersons are going with church construction.
May 14, 2000
"Does he ever actually visit the job site?" I hear you ask about me. Why am I neither surprised nor offended?
Because last week's Update stated that footings were poured but below grade level so as to not to be visible, yet parishioners stared up at the tops of retaining walls while arriving for church. One week's Update acknowledged nothing much had been happening on site; church members wondered why I had not noticed earth-moving equipment digging a new basement level for three days.
As I once mentioned during announcements, the Update always is written several days prior to being read, largely because of the bulletin's printing deadline. That the Update can be so outdated within a few days speaks volumes about the efficiency regarding the construction schedule at this stage.
And yes, we do visit the site (that is not a "Royal We"; other Implementation members, plus the Group of Three, the Finishings folks, and Vestry members all have stopped by to witness progress at various times). Just yesterday, several of us met there to determine the exact location of telephone equipment. I mention this not so that people can appreciate that we were busy; rather, we need as many parishioners as possible to remember that the telephone control cabinet must go into a room otherwise reserved for the storage of Lisa Hunt's paperwork. Those persons who ever saw the stacks of sheets upon Lisa's old desk will appreciate the importance of passing the secret hiding place of the telephone cabinet onto their
children so that this information will not be lost to future generations.
[Incidentally, this location is safe and legal because a communications system is low voltage, whereas a line (power) voltage panel may not be placed in a room designated for other
purposes, such as storage.]
By the way, the finished building will have a well-developed telephone and intercom system throughout. Volunteers whose combined work has them spread out into separate corners of our church home will find it much easier to stay in touch and coordinate their efforts.
May 21, 2000
In the old days at St. Ann's, one knew when he or she truly had "arrived" by virtue of being bestowed a key to the building. This gift usually signified an important appointment to a leadership position such as chairperson of a committee. Such trust frankly was not the culmination of years of humble and faithful servitude, but most often occurred within a few weeks of completing the Catechumenate (Confirmation, by the time it roles around, can seem like such a technicality, n'est ce pas?).
Keys to the cave, keys to the car, keys to the executive wash room; all vanishing. Now everyone has a four digit code. Four digit codes are great; some of them cause money to spit out of a slot in the wall. Soon, a four digit code will get you into our new building at 419 Woodland Street.
Creative Alarms, our security system contractor, is installing a key pad that can be programmed so that each member having work to do in the building can be issued a personal entry code. This way, more members can be provided access to our new home than if a key had to be made for them. Community groups using our building also can be issued a code, keeping too many keys from floating around (when a group's meetings expire, the code merely is canceled).
Other security features include a video camera and electromagnetic door lock at the weekday entrance, with a monitor at the reception desk. This safety feature is necessary as the foyer is midway up the circular staircase, and not visible from the lobby below. More standard security equipment includes motion detectors and glass-break detectors.
Regarding matters other than security, what progress did we see during our walkthrough this week? Almost half of the main floor of Howe Hall has drywall hung, and gypsum board on the ceilings. The plumbing is almost complete in the basement, with the slab that was cut for it having been patched. A great deal of the HVAC duct work also has been completed. And of course, the retaining walls for the basement level of the new front addition are visible from the street.
May 28, 2000
The balcony of my home overlooks the new Hilton Hotel being built alongside the Arena (I think now it is called the Gaylord Something-or-the-Other, but I am one of those "Old Nashvillians" to whom the Tennessee Tower will always be the National Life Building; plus, I have never quite forgiven Gaylord for the time it sponsored the cattle drive down my street, Second Avenue, while I was attempting to drive up the opposite direction to St. Ann's). The Hilton Hotel looks nice enough, I suppose, but it dawned on me one evening that it ain't the Plaza Hotel. For that matter, it isn't even the Hotel Beverly (the lesser priced joint I usually stay while in New York, which is, at least, across from the Waldorf Astoria). What was missing, I pondered? Well, in general, a sense of style, of course. More specifically, however, we miss the elaborate stonework which once automatically was an integral part of any significant architectural design. It disappeared around the same time as elevators which each required an attendant.
Natural materials for construction simply are not as readily available as before, and seldom are affordable. The new St. Ann's, as imaginative, stylistic, and inclusive of high-quality building standards as it will be, frankly will not have new commissions of stonework (some simple and subtle ones originally were planned, but sacrificed for cost efficiency). This did not strike me as being a particularly big deal until one day I ran across a picture of the front of the old Nave. What caught my attention immediately? The stonework. More than anything else about the facade, the stone reminded me of days of old. I was transfixed by it, then suddenly found myself setting the picture aside -- an interesting extreme of reactions.
The next time I saw the old stone was on site, when it was uncovered by the tarp and spread out to be reviewed for possible reuse. Our masonry experts informed us that the stone was simply too old and fragile to be used structurally. As we stared at the sculptured detail of so many of the pieces, however, we knew that there was no way that we were going to let this part of our history escape us. This time, there was no impulse to look away. Rather, we studied the various designs before us and realized what a prize we had for enhancing the landscaping of our premises. Some pieces are significant enough to accomplish this as single entities. Others might be combined as new, more complex sculptures.
There is plenty of precedent for this. For example the St. Ann's Purple Thumb Garden Club recently toured Cheekwood and viewed a lovely garden accented by the caps of the original columns of the State Capitol (a similar arrangement can be seen on Capitol Hill). As a result of the tour, the Garden Club has expressed interest in volunteering with some of the landscaping when the time comes.
Next Saturday, June 3, the stone will be moved from the corner to an abandoned tobacco barn owned by Ned and Anne Overton, in order to preserve it from damage or loss during site development (such as the revamping of the parking lot). We need volunteers to help load the stone onto Ned's trailer (and unload it at the barn, thereby also offering an authentic farm experience to us urbanites). Please be at 419 Woodland Street at 9 a.m.
June 4, 2000
"Ask Jimmy." Often these days, that is the response one receives to a question just posed. Jimmy who? Jimmy Denson, the project superintendent with The Parent Company, that's who. He is the guy in charge of the construction at St. Ann's.
It dawned on us you might wish to know more about Jimmy. For one thing, he has forty years experience in the construction industry, over half of it as superintendent. Jimmy started in the industry with Foster Creighton Company (one of the most prominent local construction companies in its time) in 1960, first as a carpenter, than as carpenter foremen, then moving up to superintendent. When Foster Creighton dissolved in 1984, several of its younger principals formed The Parent Company. They took Jimmy with them.
Jimmy has continued to work as superintendent throughout his sixteen years with The Parent Company. While some of his most recent projects have consisted of new construction in the Brentwood area (Gateway Office Park and Maryland Park Center), Jimmy's background, and favorite work, involves the restoration of historic buildings. Most of these have been at Vanderbilt University, and include Kirkland Hall, the Old Central Science Hall, and too many dormitories (all right, nine) to list (my company, incidentally, worked with Jimmy on five of these dorms, and so I personally am aware of his vast capabilities). The project Jimmy completed in December just before moving over to St. Ann's was the SunTrust on Music Row.
On several occasions, Jimmy has mentioned to people connected with our project that the remodeling of St. Ann's has provided some of the most difficult challenges of his career in terms of his restoration experiences. He is referring largely to the problem of having to erect an unusual amount of temporary support in order to demolish so many portions of the building. This was due to substandard original work in Howe Hall (probably because a great deal of volunteer labor was used) and also to the drastic nature of the change about to take place in Martin Hall.
While Jimmy is a West Nashvillian, he has familial roots in Edgefield. Jimmy's wife is the sister of Larry West, who owns the home on the corner of Fatherland and South Fifth Street, whose conservatory was the starting point of the Edgefield Tour of Homes two weeks ago. By being placed at St. Ann's, Jimmy has the unique situation of knowing that he will be in view of his finished product every time he visits his in-laws.
June 11, 2000
First and foremost, a huge "thank you" goes to Anne and Ned Overton, Tom Hardin, and Battle Beasley for their help moving our carved and sculptured stone this past Saturday. Stone was resorted onto pallets, loaded onto a truck, and driven to the Overton farm outside of Lebanon, where it was unloaded in a secluded spot in which it can remain until we are ready for the final landscaping phase of our project.
The group of volunteers enjoyed a delightful day of bright tropical sunshine, a delicious luncheon catered by Arby's, and a couple of volunteers even found time for an entirely unplanned but thorough tour of Lebanon (don't ask), featuring several cemeteries and the restored Castle Heights Military School, now the administrative headquarters for Cracker Barrel Restaurants. In expressing thanks, the parish also has sent a written thank you note to Mark Turner of Turner Seed Inc. for the use of the company truck, without which the hauling of so much stone would have been impossible.
Parishioners looking at the site will notice a significant amount of stone still remaining. While no stone is to be reused in the new building itself, old stone is essential to the restoration of the foundation, which will serve as the wall of the labyrinth garden. Of the pieces on site, the rough stone will be used to patch the missing portions of the wall, the triangular stone will be used to cap the wall at the top (to match the caps still remaining), and the flat slabs will be used to build steps in several places.
Visitors to the building in the last couple of weeks most likely have noticed that the interior structural steel diaphragm is in place around the walls of Martin Hall. This is the support network necessary to facilitate the opening of the West side for the addition of the new Chancel, and also for the demolition of the second floor in order to create the cathedral ceiling. So why has the second level deck not been removed? Because it makes such a great working platform for the completion of the ceiling of Martin Hall (the hanging of gypsum board being a good example). Not having to erect scaffolding saves a significant amount of money, and cost efficient methods such as these which The Parent Company identifies will, in the final analysis, benefit our parish on a "time and material" project such as this.
Incidentally, of every element of the project, the structural steel was the item which had the most potential to throw the job behind schedule. The second concern, by the way, would have been unfavorable weather during this period of the front build out. Because neither of these factors has proven a problem, the project remains right on schedule.
On the original plans, the kitchen area intentionally was left vague, because it was uncertain how much money would be available to renovate this room, not a major priority (as hard as that may have been to believe in the days preceding the tornado). An allowance, however, was included in the tabulation of projected construction costs. Now we finally are in position to make firm decisions regarding this space. For example, new countertops have been approved, and we are discussing a few new appliances, such as a dishwasher.
June 18, 2000
A riddle of sorts: When can a news report being written for the first time already be redundant? The answer: When the news concerns exterior renovations to St. Ann's.
By now most parishioners probably have driven by 419 Woodland Street and noticed that the upper portion of our west wall has been removed (if you have driven by 419 Woodland Street and NOT noticed the big gaping hole in the wall, then you really are "over" all this construction, aren't you?). This is the first step toward making way for the new Chancel addition. Once the upper gypsum board installation is complete, such that the second floor deck is no longer needed as a working platform, the deck will be removed; this tentatively is scheduled for this coming Monday. Once the floor is removed, the bottom portion of the west wall will be taken out. Why must the floor be removed before the rest of the wall? Because the remaining wall is part of the support which holds up the floor (and, yes, this is the same wall which was beginning to separate from the building). Incidentally, there is a wonderful continuous breeze across the second floor now; I was glad for the chance Wednesday to stand up there and view the skyline through the western exposure.
What else is happening? Workers are moving at full speed building the form for the concrete which will become the floor of the Great Hall, Narthex, Sacristy, and Nursery. Also, a great deal of progress has been made on the plumbing and electrical lines, as well as the duct work for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. Regarding items such as utilities, for all of the parts of the new building which will show, tremendous improvements also will have been made in ways that will not show (at least until the first time we can plug in a coffee pot without tripping out the copying machine).
Most of the final design elements are falling into place as well. The Liturgical Furnishings Committee met this week to finalize plans for the pieces to go into the new Chancel.
Charlsie and (Architect) Ned are in the process of determining which of the steel working tables donated by St. George's can be used in the new kitchen. Kevin Duffy is selecting a new sink, dishwasher, and ice maker. The Finishes Committee has developed basic color schemes, although the exact placement of the various colors will be decided in the weeks ahead when construction is further along and we have a better idea of what the permanent lighting levels will be.
June 25, 2000
First, the obvious: The Parent Company has removed the second level deck from Martin Hall, creating a cathedral ceiling. The remainder of the west wall has been removed where the new Chancel will be introduced, for which the footings already have been poured. The sub floor has been laid for the Great Hall. Next week, the reinforcing steel will be laid in this floor, and then the concrete slab will be poured, probably the following week. At that point, we will lead a Sunday tour of Martin Hall and the Great Hall (at the moment, there are too many tripping hazards, such as outlet boxes for future floor receptacles, poking through the sub floor, making a group visit unsafe).
Several years ago, I had the dubious pleasure of installing an audiovisual system in a church sanctuary in Wilson County. The most distinctive feature was a motorized screen which would drop periodically from the ceiling down front, over the choir. The lyrics to the hymns would be projected onto the screen from a booth in the back of the church. The reason? So that the
racks on the backs of the pews could be cleared of hymnals to make way for the King James version of the Bible. (Interestingly, while installing junction boxes in the floor of the sanctuary, I discovered peanut shells underneath one of the pews -- honestly.) I remember feeling glad that I attended a church that had no use for electronic gadgetry.
So, you can imagine my initial chagrin when I was asked to meet with "The Sound Man" to discuss the public address system in Martin Hall. AACCKK!!! Then I met "The Sound Man" and was greatly relieved to learn more about the system being planned. The equipment being provided will not amplify the voices from the Chancel (whether reading, preaching or celebrating Eucharist) as much as it will "clarify" the voices. More specifically, speech will be distributed in such a way that everyone sitting in Martin Hall will hear the same level of sound, whether one is sitting in the back, the front, the middle, or along the sides. In other words, the system will give the illusion of Martin Hall having naturally perfect acoustics; the spoken word will not take on an electronic quality. This minimal intervention will be achieved by inconspicuous speakers recessed into the lower ceilings above the side aisles. These speakers are designed to spread sound evenly across each side of the room, all the way to the center.
Even though music is not part of the service requiring this equipment, nevertheless, Music Director Butch has taken on the responsibility of introducing Mr. Austin and his system, and helping me get the wheels moving in coordinating this with our architects and construction forces. Much thanks to Butch.
July 2, 2000
I get asked a lot of questions regarding our construction project. Occasionally, I know the answer. Sometimes I can answer in specifics. Other times I can give only a general reply without looking up the documents before providing further information. Often the questions are design oriented. My position as Owner's Representative to the Architect and Construction Manager pertains almost exclusively to the construction phase itself; I have never had an "official" position on any of the design teams. To my surprise, every now and then I can answer design questions anyway simply by virtue of having "sat in" on some of the design meetings (merely for the purpose of staying informed, you understand, although I will admit to a bit of difficulty keeping opinions to myself). Usually, though, I have to volley a design question to a member of whatever design subcommittee is addressing the particular issue in question. One way or another though, eventually I always manage to respond to every question with an answer (at least, to the best of my recollection).
With the Construction Update, we try to keep everyone as informed as possible, without going into more technical detail than most folks would find interesting. We attempt to balance reports of actual physical progress in the field with descriptions of the design elements yet to come, so that we can all share a sense of the vision. No matter how diligent our efforts, however, we may be bypassing someone on the information highway. Therefore, we would like to extend an invitation to anyone who wishes to e-mail a question to St. Ann's address, which is: office@stannsnashville.org. If you designate the message: "Attention Construction Update," we will attempt to answer any such questions in this column, whenever timing and space permit (it is possible that the nature of a question might be such that there is a more appropriate forum in which to answer it, such as within a sermon, a verbal announcement, while actually touring on site, or as a committee report in the Epistle). No matter, no reasonable question will go unaddressed, one way or another. So let us hear from you.
July 9, 2000
Sorry. No construction update this week.
July 16, 2000
Today, St. Ann's parishioners toured Martin Hall as it is under construction at 5th and Woodland. (See the photo at the top of this page. You can see more photos of the tour on-line at Kodak Gallery The newest photos are at the bottom of the Kodak Gallery page.
July 23, 2000
This is the last Construction Update, news which causes me sadness and joy. Why the sadness? Because it has been so gratifying having such a direct and convenient means by which to keep everyone informed regarding the progress being made on our parish's home on 419 Woodland Street, not only in terms of the actual construction itself, but also concerning the finishing touches being put on the design. Why the joy? Because of the reasons why the Construction Update no longer is necessary.
When we first started this report around the beginning of the year, it was because so much work was being done behind the scenes which was not visible from the corner. We wanted to assure everyone how rapidly, and smoothly, the preliminary steps leading to the full scale construction effort were falling into place. Once construction began in earnest, most of this consisted of interior remodeling (with the exception of the clearing of the debris pile within the old foundation). Again, no one standing outside could imagine the changes taking place inside. Seldom were the field conditions safe enough to allow visiting the building and, even so, the earliest work was a sizable revamping of the supportive infrastructure. As impressive as the results were, there was not much to see for anyone uninterested in the more technical aspects of construction.
The parish tour of the building this past Sunday proved how dramatically circumstances have changed. Most parishioners were able to see for the first time the creation of the cathedral ceiling of Martin Hall, the beginning of the chancel addition, the build-out of the Great (parish) Hall, and the future locations of the Sacristy, Narthex and Nursery. This week, as the walls of the Great Hall climb ever higher, it is clear that what we have been told by The Parent Company is true; the pace of the construction is accelerating, and will continue to do so until toward the end of the year when the project is complete.
This means that every few (three or four) weeks, there will be plenty of new progress to see, meriting more regular tours. The project site now is orderly enough that such tours are possible.
"A picture is worth a thousand words." A construction project moving so fast that news typed on Wednesday is outdated by Sunday is a wonderful sight to see. If, between visits, anyone has any questions, please always feel free to ask the pertinent party, whether that be Implementation, Vestry, the Group of Three, Furnishings and Finishes, the Treasurers or Clergy. Information not stored in our heads nevertheless is available at our fingertips. There are always answers to be found, just as we are finding that building our new church home is pure pleasure.
