AMESBURY — St. James Episcopal Church is taking the next steps in the restoration of its 125-year-old house of worship on Main Street.
Beth Mauch, the restoration project manager, said churchgoers first began to notice issues when a piece of the building broke off.
“Several years ago, we had a large chunk of our coping cornerstone break off of the building and land on the ground. So, we knew we were facing some issues that needed to be investigated,” she said.
As a result, the church hired an engineering firm to assess the building’s issues.
“The ultimate result of that was we found that we had a lot of deterioration in other aspects of our building envelope, the windows,” Mauch said.
“So, the net result was we learned that two major issues were present that we had to deal with. One was the safety issue because we had crumbling masonry,” she said. “And, the other was a water filtration issue because we had numerous areas where we had water leakages inside the building and subsequently water damage.”
So, the church got to work to address the issues and began the first phase of the project this summer by removing old mortar and repointing the building.
This phase is expected to be completed in late fall, with the following phase involving the church window to begin this spring.
Mauch said it is hoped the restoration is complete by 2027.
While restoring the church is the priority, Mauch said the historical significance of the building is being taken into account during the work.
“We’re not a historical site, so we’re not bound to the same degree as you would be if we were a historical site,” she said. “But the people we are working with also have a lot of experience with old church buildings. So, there is a very strong sentiment of keeping things as original as we can to the design of the building as it was intended back in the day when the early architects were putting together a plan for the building.”
Mauch said parishioners hope to keep the building in good condition for as long as possible for future generations.
“The building’s been around for 125 years and has served the community and St. James Parish very well. But we’ve sustained a lot of tough New England weather, erosion and freeze thaw cycles,” she said. “So, this is long overdue and the project is much anticipated. And, we just hope to be a resource to the community for decades to come.”
Joan Miller, a consulting member for the capital campaign committee, echoed Mauch’s statement and said the parish intends to preserve a building that is significant for many Amesbury residents.
“It has not only historical significance, but emotional significance. It’s a very special place for a lot of people and I think the town of Amesbury,” she said.