By M.W. Penn

PROJECT TEAM Designer: Goody Clancy, Boston Stone supplier/installers: Kenneth Castellucci & Associates Inc., Lincoln, R.I.; Port Morris Tile & Marble Corp., Dorchester, Mass.; Restoration Preservation Masonry Inc., Northborough, Mass.

Many regard Boston's Trinity Church as the single most commanding building in the city. Built between 1872 and 1877 — and designed by one of the greatest architects who lived and worked in Boston, Henry Hobson Richardson — Trinity is the only building to be twice honored as one of the 10 most significant buildings in the United States by the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

After 125 years of the physically demanding onslaught of weather and pollution, the colors had become muted and stones in the façade had to be repaired. In addition, the church — a parish church of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and a thriving center of worship — had outgrown its activity space.

	Boston's Trinity Church is regarded by many as the single most commanding building in the city. Photograph © Peter Vanderwarker

When the congregation decided to restore and expand the national historic landmark, they turned to Goody Clancy of Boston for full architectural and interior design services and to Shawmut Design and Construction, also of Boston, for construction management.

Lisa Howe, director of preservation at Goody Clancy, said, "We were very fortunate to work with a client that deeply cares about the building. The Preservation Guidelines, set at the beginning of the project, informed our work, from conception through construction."

Due to Richardson's stringent requirements, the quality of the stone to be restored as part of the tower restoration was excellent. In fact, the outstanding quality of the stone, as well as the entire building when it was originally constructed, acted as a guideline for the team completing the restoration. Restorers mimicked the techniques of the 19th-century builders, matching the exact stonework, mortar and terra cotta that were originally used. Crews repaired or replaced the Dedham granite and East Longmeadow sandstone of the central tower exterior, and carefully matched the color and texture of the original mortar. The result is a stunning red hue for the sandstone joints, a restored example of the original structural aesthetics and the original grandeur envisioned by Richardson.

A view of the new bookstore, showing cherry wood pergola
and granite foundations.
Photograph © Peter Vanderwarker

Trinity Church is located on a public plaza that occupies one full city block. The building is flanked by major streets and surrounded by skyscrapers and historic structures, like the Boston Public Library, leaving no space for lateral expansion above-grade. The only space available for the needed expansion was in the undercroft within existing foundation walls.

Adding to the complicated scenario, the church is built on the landfill of the Back Bay, which was originally a mud flat. To avoid sinking into the marshy wetland, Trinity rests on approximately 4,500 wooden piles driven through 30 feet of gravel fill, silt and clay and wetted by a pump so they won't rot when exposed to air. As a growth spurt of skyscrapers hit the Back Bay neighborhood, the groundwater beneath the buildings dropped, leaving wooden piles at the neighborhood's foundations exposed to air. This allowed the wood to begin rotting, threatening the structural integrity of many buildings.

The situation made any excavation of the undercroft an especially intricate procedure. In the words of Carl Jay, director of historic preservation, Shawmut Design and Construction, "The operation was so delicate that it required our workers to dig out portions of the undercroft by hand in order to avoid disturbing the wood pilings and the four elephantine "feet" [the granite piers] upon which Trinity Church rests. In many cases, we used the same methods to restore and expand the church as were originally used to build it." Crews repaired the few damaged pilings with steel supports, and engineers installed a system to regulate the water level and keep the wood submerged to prevent further damage.

Exterior stone mortar joints after cleaning and repointing.
Photograph © Peter Vanderwarker

The space below the sanctuary, which had been unfinished crawl space, was carefully excavated four feet to a new elevation, and 13,000 square feet of new space was created for a lecture and gathering area with a support kitchen, a visitor area and a bookstore. Improvements were made for circulation, handicap access, life safety, and mechanical and electrical systems.

The original granite foundation walls and piers were incorporated into the new design maximizing square footage. The piers are four, thick granite shafts that rise from under the floor of the undercroft and continue up through the church to support the dome. The existing stone was so beautiful, the owner and architects decided during construction to expose even more than originally planned. The exposed granite foundations and piers met the congregation's requirement for warm and inviting finish materials.

References
Van Rensselaer, Mariana Griswold. Henry Hobson Richardson and His Works, With a New Introduction By William Morgan. Dover, New York, New York, 1969. Reprint of the 1888 edition.

Exterior stone mortar joints before restoration.
Photograph © Peter Vanderwarker

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