 |
      |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
| Chezcore, Inc. was the low bidder
and selected to perform historical restoration and repairs to the
grotto located within the cemetery on the parish grounds. Over time,
the elements had caused extensive deterioration to the carved limestone
face of the "Pope Plaques" within the grotto walls and arched
ceiling. The task for Chezcore, Inc. was to mechanically remove the
face of all the existing carved stone, hand carve new plaques and
install them at their original locations.
Working closely with the architect Harold H. Fisher Associates Inc., Chezcore’s skilled craftsmen assembled the newly carved stone units and installed them in accordance with the architect’s unique anchoring detail. 279 stone plaques were removed and replaced with new ones. The grotto, which originally was a thru wall stone roof, over the years had a series of applications of tar applied to the exterior. A new slate roof and associated copper details were installed. This gave the grotto a new, long-term protective skin. An interesting note related to this project involves the outside stone framing of the grotto. Weathering and deterioration had eroded the "rock faced" surface that was originally there. Chezcores', task, under the direction of the architect, was to bring back the "rocked face" look that was originally there. Several samples were produced with the use of a simple hammer and chisel to achieve the desired finish look, much the way it was done over 120 years ago. |
|
