Bit by bit, the front facade is nearly done

New pews in Chapel of Peace

A parishioner built new pews for the Chapel of Peace. They are the ones in the front row of the Chapel directly in front of the sanctuary. These pews are slightly smaller in width so they will fit in between the pillars in the Chapel.

The craftsmanship is quite excellent. It is difficult to distinguish the old ones from the new.

We will be installing kneelers soon.

More Barrels around hole in 8th Street

The city is moving traffic around the hole in 8th street. They placed a number of barrels and traffic signs to help drivers avoid the hole. Perhaps this is a sign that they are going to fill it soon.

Be careful as you drive along 8th street.

Painting is progressing nicely

Painting the Window Frames

Following a dry night, the painters are up in the big crane working on the frames around the spires' windows. The windows had suffered quite a bit of damage in the past 95 years. They were rebuilt or replaced during the copper roof installation.

Last night's rain means no paint today

Yesterday and this morning brought thunderstorms and rain. The painting crews cannot paint when the humidity is high. We may not see much progress this week.

There is no rain in the forecast tonight. Perhaps it will dry out a bit overnight.

Larger crane reaches the highest louvers

A new, larger crane rolled into the parking lot, ready to carry painters to the louvers atop the central tower. The new crane is needed to reach up and across the spaces on the north side of the Cathedral. It will also be useful when the painters focus on the louvers over the front facade of the church. The old crane was too small to reach across the front stairs or the mechanical yards holding the air conditioning equipment.

A Hole in Eighth Street halts painting

Our painters moved the mobile crane to the north side of the Cathedral to continue to paint the louvers. As he finished one section, the painter/crane operator backed up the crane onto the street.

The crane drove over a weakened section of Eighth Street and nearly fell into a void in the earth below the asphault. Although he was shaken, the crane operator drove the crane to its parking spot across the street.

The city of Tulsa dispatched a crew to look at the hole. The chunks of asphault fell about three feet but did not damage anything below. The city's sewer system is intact.

The "Cathedral side" of Eighth Street is coned off. Traffic is moving in the other two lanes.

The painters decided to work some more on the south side of the Cathedral.

Photos of South Tower's New Paint

White Louvers

The painters have moved their crane from the central tower to the southern small tower over the front entrance to the Cathedral.


Parishioners attending daily Mass seem happy with the changes to the
towers.

[Click on a photo for a larger version.]

Sunny Skies and White Paint

The unusual cool and rainy days in late July have given way to a hot August. While we may prefer otherwise, our painters are taking advantage of the dry weather.

Today they are painting the louvers on the south face of the central tower.