The Rise Up! Project, which set out to restore the Cathedral’s iconic spire, has finally finished construction. The spire has, at long last, been unwrapped from all its scaffolding and is standing proudly again in the midst of all the steel and glass downtown. It has been a long, arduous and expensive process, and we are grateful to the individuals, foundations and other philanthropic organisations, and the Provincial and Federal government for their generous contributions towards maintaining our patrimonial building and ensuring its future.
The urgently needed project began in 2016. The steel structure and aluminum tiles, which had replaced the original stone spire in the 1940s, had corroded to the point of instability. If left unchecked, the spire was a potential danger to the public. Therefore, we had no choice but to undertake major work to ensure its safety and longevity.
The Cathedral’s architects, EVOQ, developed a plan of action in two phases. In the first stage, which began in 2017, the expert masons at Rainville strengthened the structure of our stone tower, facilitating the subsequent work of restoration. Although we uncovered significant additional masonry work, the cathedral was able to receive funding from Parcs Canada and to complete the phase on time in 2019.
The second phase, the work on the spire structure, started in 2019. The original plan was to remove all aluminum tiles, slice the spire in two and then lift both halves down to the ground for maintenance. However, this proved to be impossible thanks to the many other construction projects happening around the Cathedral and the load-bearing restrictions of being situated on top of a shopping mall. A new process had to be developed.
The new approach involved enveloping the whole spire into scaffolding in order to remove the tiles. Each was painstakingly numbered so that it would find its place again at the end of the project. As tiles were removed, they were taken to a specialist firm in Ottawa for cleaning and decontamination to remove over eight decades of pollution.
COVID hit just as we were getting into gear, stopping the work temporarily and then slowing down the process because of distancing restrictions on building sites.
Restoration work was also hindered by the pandemic’s worldwide supply chain issues. Some of the materials needed for the work, including the additional scaffolding and many other highly technical items, had to be sourced elsewhere than originally planned with longer lead times and higher costs.
In May 2022, the Dean faced his own fear of heights and climbed the scaffolding to the top of the spire in to bless the cross as it was set back in place, a powerful symbol of the presence of Christ in the heart of the city of Montreal. Since then, our teams of architects and contractors continued to work steadfastly – tackling each challenge as it arose – and finally taking down the scaffolding from our spire.
This has been an extraordinary journey, one that will ensure that the Cathedral will continue to be a place of gathering for Anglicans and Montrealers for many years to come.
We have celebrated completion of the project and are now faced with counting the financial shortfall, likely to be in the region of $500 to 750,000.We are extremely grateful to the Conseil du Patrimoine Religieux du Québec for their significant support, and to the many individuals and foundations who have contributed so far. Please consider sending a financial donation to minimise the impact of this necessary work on our ongoing mission.
You can donate by e-transfer to [email protected] with “spire” in the message, a cheque labeled “Spire” to Christ Church Cathedral, 1444 Av. Union, Montreal, H3A 2B8 or online at montrealcathedral.ca/finishing-the-spire.
