St Johns Anglican Church, St Croix U.S.V.I.

“St. John's Anglican Church was built between 1849 and 1858, replacing a structure built in 1772. A fire destroyed much of the original interior. This design and rebuilding reflects fidelity to the Gothic Revival style prescribed for Anglican churches throughout the world. Few alterations were made to meet the needs of the growing congreation. Nonetheless, it retains much of its original interior woodwork. It is the most stylistically correct of all in the Gothic Revival buildings in the Virgin Islands.”

On September 17, 1989 Hurricane Hugo struck the island of St. Croix at Category 5 with 170 MPH sustained winds and gusts of up to 238+. For locals it was .  .  . "The Longest Night"

This was a 1990-91 National Park Service project that involved steeple repairs. Look to the whiter new crenelations at the top of the steeple. A custom platform scaffolding was built and set with a crane atop the steeple. My role was to hang the massive solid mahogany hurricane shutters and prepare scaffolding for the stained glass window. The lintels for the strap hinges had to be anchored in the caliche (sedimentary coral) block masonry walls. Hurricane Hugo had ripped the roof off including the Southern Yellow Pine sheathing. The roof was re-sheathed w/ SYP planking and a new roof metal was installed. The 40’-50’ long panels were custom fabricated in Puerto Rico and brought to the project. Wood & Masonry repairs were also in the scope of work. The Parish Hall was first used as our millwork shop and then restored. The Parish Hall was the nicest workshop I have, or ever will have worked in.

Front Facade

Gothic Revival at its finest.

The 18’ Tall Stained Glass Replacement Unit And Hurricane Shutters

A company in Boston spent a year reconstructing a replacement window. The original was damaged beyond repair by Hugo. First we had to construct a very substantial scaffolding right in front of the opening. A chain hoist was installed at the top of the scaffold for the window set by the Boston crew. Then it was our turn to hang the new solid mahogany hurricane shutters. To say this was somewhat nerve-racking is an understatement. Those shutters must have weighed 600 lbs each. The hang went well and the hand-forged 4’ long strap hinges held strong. You could operate the shutters with ease.

Inside View Of The 18’ Tall Stained Glass Unit

This picture was taken right after the installation. I will never forget this moment. The quality of the light imbued was spectacular.