Old South Church
Old South Church Committee, Boston, MA
Preserving a church’s original High Victorian Gothic style
Designed by Cummings and Sears in 1873, this National Historic Landmark is built of patterned puddingstone walls, a polychrome slate roof and ornamental ironwork–testaments to its High Victorian Gothic style. Goody Clancy’s restoration of the church included exterior restoration, interior life safety upgrades, and barrier-free accessibility improvements to modernize the facility and ensure its longevity.
We installed new red and black slate shingles on the church roof to match the original patterns, replaced copper flashing to ensure a weathertight envelope, and restored the decorative eave ironwork to its original glory.
- Masonry restoration included repointing mortar joints, selective cleaning, and repairs to deteriorated stone.
- We restored the decorative iron site lighting and railings, the wood and metal window frames, ventilated the existing protective glazing over 14 stained glass windows, and then restored three of them.
- Within the church, we upgraded life safety, security, and mechanical systems.
- We designed a barrier-free entrance to the church and access to the pulpit and pews.
