Landmark Church Fire

The Loss

When a fire started in an art storage crypt of the Largest Cathedral in the World on Palm Sunday, we know we were faced with a unique project.

Cleaning this massive building with 135’ ceilings and damage to every surface was quite the task while keeping the Cathedral open for worship. Global visitors and events added levels of complex coordination we rarely experience. The goal was partial open by Easter Sunday. With an army of cleaning crews, we scoured the first 10’ of the sanctuary. We got them open by Good Friday. After that we built one of the largest indoor scaffold systems in the country. For the next 8 months, we hand cleaned every inch of the church including the stained glass windows using specialized aerial lifts to reach all surfaces.

Coordination amongst the insurance carrier, Cathedral staff, consultants and our team proved to be the key to a successful outcome. That outcome was St. John’s was able to open for the community and for Christmas.