Bell Tower Restoration Project

Designed by Charles Collens in the neo-Gothic style, the signature feature of our church building is the bell tower. Its likeness graces the cover of our weekly worship service bulletin, as well as the cover of the music programs for the Tower Music Series. Sadly, this iconic feature of our church building is in need of essential repairs and restoration.

Unlike the bell towers of some churches that might house little more than a non-functioning bell, our bell tower is integral to the function of our church building. Housed within the bell tower structure:

• The handicapped-accessible entrance to the sanctuary.
• The organ case, which houses the newly installed Schantz organ that was dedicated to the Glory of God in 2004.
• A bell, used each Sunday to call parishoners to worship.
• A set of functional chimes that occupy the uppermost level of the tower.
• The entrance from the sanctuary to Fellowship Hall and the church basement.

Initial concerns about the bell tower's long-term stability began to be raised in the early 1960s. The full chime set, housed in the open-aired, uppermost level of the tower, was rung for the last time in 1964. At that time, it was feared that continued use of the chimes might de-stabilize the tower. Since the 1960s, different opinions from different "authorities" have questioned whether the chimes could have had such an impact on the structure. However, one thing is certain: concerns about the bell tower were beginning to surface nearly 50 years ago.

Immediately below the Chime Level -- and immediately above the new Schantz Organ case -- is the bell that rings the call to worship every Sunday. The bell is run by a mechanized hammer. You might notice from the photograph to the right that the bell does not "swing"; this is another measure taken to reduce vibrations and keep the tower structure more stable.

Below the bell is the chamber that houses the new Schantz organ that was installed in 2004, as well as the upper sections of the bell tower entranceway to the sanctuary. While the blower mechanism for the organ is housed in the basement of the church, the "guts" of the organ -- the shutters, chests, and pipes -- are all stored beneath the bell level of the tower.

Mr. Collens, who would later go on to design Riverside Church and the Cloisters of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, originally designed the upper two levels of the bell tower as open-aired chambers. While this design provided for minimal obstruction for the tone of the bell or the music of the chimes, it also allowed an unobstructed entrance for the elements, an entrance that the elements have exploited to the best of their ability. Over eighty years of exposure has led to deterioration of the internal masonry, floors, and supports, as well as to deterioration of the external masonry work. The originally designed drainage works have not proven sufficient to prevent the continual erosion of the masonry by rain, wind, and temperature changes.

Several attempts have been made to restore the tower. The last professional attempt was made in the 1980s. Not only was this repair ultimately ineffective, but much of the work performed during that project must be redone or replaced.

In the intervening years, several quick repairs have been made to the upper levels of the tower. Screening has successfully kept the chime level from becoming a bird roost, yet cannot keep out the wind and rain. The open-air windows of the bell level have been closed, using panels of insulation usually laid beneath vinyl siding. This quick measure has cut the amount of rain and wind entering the bell chamber, but the elements continue to come through the deteriorating floor of the chime level above. The built-in exhaust fan was disabled and enclosed in an attempt to further reduce the amount of rain that could find its way into the church building.

For 2008, the Consistory has made a commitment to begin an effort to restore this iconic feature of our church building. This effort is not only important from an asthetic point-of-view, but is also essential to the continued function and safety of our building. This restoration effort is likely to take years, and it may be a few years before the first hammer falls.

The first task is to determine the full extent of the required work. An incomplete repair that does not consider the full extent of the deterioration is not only wasted effort, but it is also potentially unsafe. An assessment must be made of the things that cannot be seen, as well as those that are blatantly obvious. Only when the full extent of the work is known can any discussions on performing actual repairs begin.

In January of 2008, the Reformed Church submitted an application for a grant from the New York State Commission for Sacred Sites to assist in defraying the costs of a "conditions assessment" by a qualified architect for the bell tower. An answer to this application is not expected before June 2008.

In June 2008, the Reformed Church commissioned Marilyn Kaplan of Preservation Architecture to conduct a conditions survey of the bell tower. Ms. Kaplan is a highly recommended architect who specializes in assessing restoration work for historical buildings. Many churches and historic sites in the Hudson Valley have used Ms. Kaplan's services. Her work includes the assessment and planning of the roof restoration for St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, plus work for the Roosevelt Historic Site in Hyde Park and several churches in the Uptown district of Kingston.

To perform the exterior assessment of the bell tower, Ms. Kaplan engaged Vertical Access of Ithaca, New York. Using climbing ropes and gear in place of scaffolding and raised platforms, Vertical Access was able to reach all sides of the tower, including the difficult-to-reach north face of the tower which would be difficult to reach otherwise.

On July 17, 2008, four inspectors from Vertical Access -- Mike Gilbert, Joshua Kunkel, Dave Dayan, and Evan Kopelson -- endured the summer heat to perform an eight-hour inspection of the tower. Altitude was not an issue for these men; they had completed an inspection of a church steeple three times the height of our bell tower in Albany two days prior.

At the completion of their inspection, Vertical Access provided a report of their preliminary findings to the Reformed Church in the last week of July 2008. Containing annotated architectural drawings like the one to the left, as well as verbal descriptions and numerous detailed photographs, the report leaves little doubt that significant work is required to restore the bell tower.

Members of the Consitory are currently examining the report. A more detailed report, including an assessment of interior conditions of the tower, is anticipated from Ms. Kaplan by the end of the year.