In 2000 Bishop Howard J. Hubbard launched the restoration of the Cathedral’s exterior. The project addressed the most critical sections of the cathedral’s brownstone surfaces which had deteriorated to such a point that public safety was jeopardized.

Deteriorated brownstone was removed from the 210 foot north tower, the north, south and west clerestories and replaced with Red Beestone which was imported from Realstone Ltd, England. The spire of the north tower was found to be leaning some 4 feet over the street and had to be completely removed and rebuilt in stone.

Larry Wilson, a partner in the Albany, N.Y.-based Mesick-Cohen-Wilson-Baker, Architects LLC, and the principal designer on the restoration project, explained that the improper bedding of the stone on the original building caused problems for the structure almost from the beginning.
The situation with the façade came to a head one rainy October night in 1995 during a wedding. A large piece of stone fell from the north towercausing concern concern about the overall condition of the structure and the safety of those below it.

In 1999 Bishop Howard J. Hubbard announced the restoration of the cathedral and committed the money to doing the first phase. At that point, it became a question of finding a suitable stone and masonry company for refacing that would also match the portions of the south tower and the sacristy that didn’t require replacement.
The architect and the rector began their search in North America, specifically with the Connecticut quarry that had supplied the original stone for the project. During the time the cathedral was being constructed, right up until the 1930s, there were several quarries in the same area – later consolidated – that turned out brownstone that went into buildings all around the country. The operation shut down during the Depression due to lack of demand, and a flood of the Connecticut River inundated the quarry.
In the early 1990s the quarry reopened, fueled by a demand for stone for restoration purposes. Despite problems with its performance on the building, the biggest concern with using the original quarry was its small size, and whether it could supply the amount of stone needed for the project.
From there, the men – aided by stone consultant Harold Vogel – turned to Europe, and specifically to central Germany’s Main River valley, and to the United Kingdom where northwest England meets southern Scotland. It became apparent early on that any economies to the project were going to be found in identifying good fabrication facilities close to the quarry, to limit the amount of stone that had to be shipped before it was cut and fabricated.
Along with color and cost: the quality of the stone, and the ability of the quarry and fabricators to meet the schedule planned for the project were also of great importance.
After fairly rigorous testing of stone samples and a bidding process, the group selected Beestone Red sandstone, quarried in Cumbria. The stone has been used in buildings since the Middle Ages, and the quarry is one of 10 currently supplied by the Chesterfield, England-based Block Stone Ltd.
Block Stone’s sister company, Realstone Ltd., was selected for the fabrication portion of the contract.

The geographic distance between the quarry/fabricators and the project itself involved intense cooperation between Realstone, the architects and the project’s contractor, the Albany, N.Y.-based Western Building Restoration Company Inc. Western is a specialist in masonry restoration; among its recent projects is the restoration of the senate library in the Tennessee state capitol building.

Pape has nothing but praise for all those involved in the project, and he’s pleased that work is going forward. He notes that while visiting Europe, he saw buildings built of the Beestone Red sandstone that have already stood for centuries.
“We have every hope our stone will last 1,000 years,” he concludes. “This is a wonderful building and a wonderful gift that we’re passing on to future generations. I feel very happy to do it.”

Client: Catholic Diocese of Albany, Albany, N.Y.
Designer: Mesick-Cohen-Wilson-Baker, Architects LLC, Albany, N.Y.

Stone Supplier/Fabricator: Realstone Ltd., Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England

Contractor: Western Building Restoration Company Inc., Albany, N.Y.