St. Francis de Sales renovating staircase

Published 11:48 am Monday, October 9, 2023

Historic buildings can be full of surprises, and St. Francis de Sales cathedral, at nearly 120 years old, is no exception.

Construction to replace the church’s front steps started in August, but unexpected discoveries have delayed the project along the way.

“You never know what you’ll find,” said Arnie Ades, who is overseeing the project for Winspear Construction of Boise.

The original finish date was Oct. 31, but Ades estimates the project will take a bit longer, probably mid-November.

Construction of St. Francis began in 1903, and was dedicated in 1908. It is the cathedral of the Baker Diocese, which covers Oregon east of the Cascade Mountains. Although the diocese office was moved to Bend in 1987, St. Francis is still the bishop’s church for Easter and Christmas Mass, as well as ordinations.

“And we have people who come here to be married — they want to be married in the cathedral,” said Ann Kniesel, director of religious education.

Dawn Coles, parish coordinator, said the cathedral has welcomed 146 visitors from around the world so far this year who asked to tour the historic church.

Stair project

The original church entrance looked a bit different than today, Kniesel said.

“The original steps were wood,” she said.

Those were replaced with concrete in 1920, and then updated in the 1950s.

One side of the stairs started to crumble several years ago, and has been blocked off for about 18 months, Kniesel said. Facing the cost of replacing the entire staircase, she said the church started paperwork in October 2022 to secure funds from the diocese conservation fund, which was established four years ago and is funded with contributions from diocese parishes.

Total project cost will be about $1 million.

When work began, Ades said they discovered a stone arch beneath the stairs, which wasn’t strong enough to support the new construction. This discovery required excavation in the basement of the ladies restroom, mechanical room and storage room to add concrete footings and stainless steel supports.

Above, the existing steps are cut with a saw and removed in sections with a crane — being sure to stay away from the church’s tuffstone exterior.

The new stairs will be concrete, reinforced with rust-proof rebar, and finished with granite steps quarried from Haines.

“It’ll be here way after I’m gone,” Ades said with a laugh.

Other companies working on the project are A-Core Concrete and Gyllenberg Construction.

Current access

The church’s main entrance has been inaccessible since mid-August. Kniesel said parishioners are using the west and east entrance doors, and a mechanical chair is available while the elevator is out of commission.

In addition, Father Suresh Telegani celebrates Mass at the Saint Alphonsus chapel — which is ground level — on Sundays at 1:15 p.m.

Elevator fundraiser

During the current construction, which involved removing the elevator, Kniesel said it was determined that the elevator should be replaced in the next two to four years. The first elevator was funded by donations, and she said the approach will be the same for a replacement. For more information, call the parish office at 541-523-4521 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.