Figures overlooking Covington’s Cathedral for more than 100 years to be removed, recast
SOURCE: LINK NKY
AUTHOR: Haley Parnell
DATE: May 1, 2023
The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, KY is undergoing a significant restoration effort, focused on the chimeras and gargoyles adorning its façade. These 19th-century terra cotta figures (58 in all) are being removed, molded, and recast to preserve their fine details and historical integrity.
O’Rourke Wrecking Company removing gargoyles and chimeras from the Cathedral. Photo courtesy of Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.
Photo courtesy of Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.
Boston Valley Terra Cotta, known for fabricating terra cotta for both restoration and new construction, was tasked with replicating these prominent sculptures. After performing a site survey of the statues utilizing a handheld mobile scanner, Boston Valley had the original pieces in need of repair shipped to our facility. There we produced extremely high-resolution scans with our in-house equipment. The combination of scans provided our skilled artisans with the digital information needed to recreate the units.
The lightweight and weather-resistant properties of terra cotta make it ideal for preserving the detailed features, which have survived over a century of exposure to the elements.
Boston Valley’s expertise in architectural restoration will help to maintain the Covington cathedral’s historical connection to its inspiration from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Boston Valley can custom fabricate architectural terra cotta not only for historic restoration façades, but for contemporary, high-performance building envelopes as well.
A historic image of the Cathedral from 1909 is shown on the left, while it stands in modern-day 2023 on the right. Photo courtesy of Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.
Header: Photo courtesy of Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.
