Originally founded by German immigrants in 1855, St. Joseph church was built in the Gothic Revival style between 1870 and 1892. Following the decline of the catholic population within the City of Detroit and damage to the steeple roof after a wind event in 2016, the future of the parish and church building were uncertain. At this time, the Institute of Christ the King took over management of St. Joseph Shrine and launched a restoration program of the church building and master planning for the community as a whole. This dramatically revived the parish which has recently swelled to large numbers and is becoming an increasingly influential presence within the City of Detroit.
When unexpected safety concerns were identified by WJE in 2023, the Shrine took on major facade repairs at the bell tower located directly above the main entrance to the church building. Though the magnitude of this restoration project was unexpected, the community at St. Joseph Shrine has embraced the call to preserve their bell tower for future generations and dubbed this important structure a ‘Beacon of Hope’.
This session will discuss the unique challenges associated with accessing an occupied, bustling church building; the behavior of and failure mechanisms related to historic stone structures, particularly those with inaccessible elements; and examples of design challenges when incorporating modern building methods and technologies into existing structures.