St. John’s Lutheran Church steeple restoration, Lancaster County

The belfry, built in 1804 and original to the church structure, is an excellent example of Federal design and detail, but the years had taken their toll on the structure. All the exterior wood components had to be stripped from the 6-sided belfry. We salvaged enough pieces to reconstruct 2 sides, and then reproduced new parts to reconstruct the remaining 4 sides. Reeded pilasters, chip-carved radiused spandrels, hand-planed keystones, railings, even the 12” diameter ball caps – it was a carpenter’s dream! The project was completed on time, within the congregation’s budget, and only days before the first onslaught of winter weather.