If there’s one thing the city of Chicago is known the world over for, it is the classical style of architecture being put to use in some of its historic districts, particularly with its churches. By merely beholding these spectacles of engineering achievement, something stirs in the heart of the historian in each of us. Even with religious concerns put aside, there remains a solemn cultural duty to keep these old buildings vibrantly beautiful, and structurally sound for future generations to reflect about.
Some of the most famous and beautiful specimens can be found in close proximity to one another, and they represent a wide variety of denominational considerations. Consider what lies along the stretch of Lincoln Avenue, for example. On this road, you can find the Trinity Episcopal Church, the First United Methodist Church, and the St. Michaels Romanian Church. One would be hard pressed to find a road in the region that better embodies the spirit of religious tolerance and freedom upon which our nation has built such a rich heritage.
Chicago is a very old city, and as time has passed, the building style of its architects has evolved and diversified to match. As such, the churches in the city represent a wide gamut of elegant construction techniques, and artful interpretations of religious imagery and beauty. Many of the larger Catholic establishments were built with emphasis on arched doorways, and window frames. They feature buttresses as well, all done with clear references to the Gothic style exhibited in European churches.
A few others draw their influences from other establishments in the Northeast. These sometimes tend to focus more on Romanesque styling, which is characterized by the same thick walls and heavy, rounded method of construction that has allowed many European castles to survive through the ages. Still, despite the forethought that went into the laying of the foundation of these churches, time weathers all things. We must do our utmost to restore and preserve the Chicago churches.
One of the most challenging parts of any restoration process is in keeping up with the roofing. Chicago’s potential for extreme weather, particularly in the winter, plays havoc with gaps in the roofing materials that have been Types Of Manufacturing Process produced over time. Additionally, roofers must combat artificial hazards like acid rain. As the city has become more of a major metropolitan center within the last century or so, this has started to become more of an issue.
Another challenge for the commercial roofing Starting A Business For Dummies that’s unique to this area comes with restoring what’s known as tuckpointing in the brickwork. Chicago tuckpointing is a bricklaying technique geared toward making the individual bricks look as close together as possible. Two different types of mortar are used in the process, with one that’s colored to match the brick as closely as possible. The other mortar is sandwiched between the darker sealant.
While this makes the restoration process much more tedious, the visual illusion of almost mathematically perfect brick spacing is well worth the extra effort. It is through the study of how these old buildings came to be that we gain a better understanding of where the science of architecture is headed. Who knows what new churches will look like after another century has passed?
