Restoration Begins at First Parish Church in Cambridge

Scaffolding is going up in Harvard Square, marking the beginning of a multi-phased project Torrey Architecture has proposed for the iconic First Parish in Cambridge, Unitarian Universalist.

First Parish Website

Torrey Architecture has been providing services in Historic Preservation and Universal Access design for the interior and exterior of First Parish over the past five years. The current project represents a first step forward in realizing our Master Plan for Restoration and Accessibility.

The Early Gothic Revival Style

In 1833, Isaiah Rogers designed First Parish Church in wood, a plentiful resource in New England, with skilled tradesmen available to saw it into boards and piece it together into forms evocative of stone. Flat boards cut in curved 2D profiles sometimes called “gingerbread” or “carpenter gothic ornament” were intended to present a silhouette without the need for sculpted carvings. Should a sufficient budget have been available, perhaps Rogers would have designed in limestone. Instead, painted wood achieved his desired effect and was quickly realized for his early Gothic Revival masterpiece. 

The Use of Polymeric Materials in the Restoration of Lost Architectural Details

Today, a similar quandary presents itself to First Parish Church: how to cost-effectively restore lost character-defining features. After constant weathering of exposed woodwork, twin hurricanes in the mid-20th century felled two of the tower’s pinnacles and a minimalist Modern redesign erased much of Isaiah Roger’s original design. Since restoration in wood as durable as the 19th-century old-growth lumber would be cost-prohibitive, today’s glass-fiber-reinforced polyester (GFRP) is one solution for these conditions. One important aspect of the current phase is to start to restore lost architectural details from Isaiah Rogers’ 1833 Gothic Revival masterpiece: the belfry opening screens will be restored in GFRP using original surviving trimwork as patterns for molds and multiple castings of repetitive details. This modern material has been proven to provide extremely durable replicas of historical architectural features. Below are successful examples of this technique. 

Photo credits: Peter Lewitt for Torrey Architecture; Judith Selwyn; Finegold Alexander; Finegold Alexander; Torrey Architecture.

New Tech for Older Masters

To restore First Parish requires accurate scaled drawings, but no blueprints survive of its construction, to say nothing of the digital CAD files used for architectural drawings today. Torrey Architecture retained long-time collaborator Existing Conditions Surveys to fill that need by providing drawings of the church exterior in its current condition.

Click HERE to see Existing Conditions Data Cloud Video

Universal Access for a Local Landmark 

The ultimate goal of First Parish restoration would be to eventually restore Rogers’ original design, but Torrey Architecture’s vision also includes Universal Access via a green pedestal of planted gardens and granite retaining walls, incorporating access ramps from the brick sidewalk to a new light-filled entry. For this future realization of our Master Plan, the original solid wooden doors open inward in a gesture of welcome to all. 

See BEFORE and AFTERs on our Website

Torrey Architecture's deep portfolio of projects can be seen on our website…Torrey Architecture …where you can browse our selection of Transformations found under the heading… BEFORE and AFTER… and with a focus on our residential projects go to Houzz where our clients have kindly offered their Testimonials.

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Torrey Architecture, Inc.

Torrey Architecture provides our clients with complete architectural services, from concept sketches through building occupancy. We assist property owners, commercial tenants and stewards of community facilities in the realization of architectural projects for buildings and sites. We assemble and lead a team of professionals to address the specific technical requirements of the project and guide our clients through the entire design process, from goal clarification through schematic designs, engineering, cost control, construction documents, contractor selection, permitting, construction and building maintenance.

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