Located in Chicago, the National Shrine of Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini features a 10,000-squarefoot, 20-ounce double-lock standing seam copper roof fabricated and installed by Albert J. Wagner & Son, Chicago. The original roof, built in 1955, had long since achieved the classic blue-green patina of weathered copper. The new covering will start with a shiny gold metallic sheen, then over time, turn a dark brown, then slowly change to the striking teal/ verdigris shade that makes the top of the shrine so unique looking.
Sullivan, Goulette & Wilson Ltd., Chicago, designed the shrine. In addition to the copper roof, the architects added other metal elements including also contains eight bronze doors constructed of 14-gauge Alloy 464 Naval Bronze from C.R. Laurence Co. Inc., Los Angeles. Balanced doors pivot on two single-piece cast bronze arms at top and bottom of the door. These are attached to colddrawn butt weld carbon steel pivoting hinge tube that runs the entire length of the door. The hinge tube contains a torsion bar that provides the closing force for the door, allowing for the easy operation of monumental heavy doors. The brass tubular panic devices are from CRL-Blumcraft, Pittsburgh, a division of C.R. Laurence. The doors were installed by MTH Industries, Chicago, and Illinois Bronze Works, In 2002, the difficult decision was made to sell the century-old Columbus Hospital. Preserving the National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini proved to be a difficult engineering challenge, since the shrine was housed within the hospital walls. One of the key reasons was the earthshaking vibrations caused by the demolition process. Also, heavy piles had to be driven in the ground to support the high-rise development to be built on the site. The new shrine may be the only one of its kind in the world, says Sister McGlinchey one of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is located below a residential high-rise, where one unit has a $12 million asking price.
At one time, a simple corridor connected the Shrine to Columbus Hospital, with the doors heralding this entrance. Now with the newly designed narthex area became the main access point to the Shrine, the doors needed updating to match the redesigned decor. Artists from across the country collaborated on the design, which includes a crucifix custom fabricated from titanium nitride Alloy 304 stainless steel #8 mirror finish gold from Millennium Tiles, Elkhorn, Wis., and installed by Albert J. Wagner & Son.
Albert J. Wagner & Son www.albertwagnerandson.com
C.R. Laurence Co. Inc. www.crl-arch.com
Millennium Tiles www.millenniumtiles.com
