Road to Restoration: The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

11 years ago, Kendall Jessiman – who was at that time a Principal of Iredale Architecture and its partner firm, Arcon Architecture and Planning – became involved in a project to renovate and restore the 110-year-old Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Saskatchewan. At the request of the building committee, Kendall and his team went on to create a Master Plan for carrying out a phased restoration to the historic building that would create a restored space for the Saskatoon community to gather, worship, and build the kind of social connections that lead to a more resilient society. Read on to learn more about how this project has unfolded.

What was the scope of this endeavor?

The work included new composite slate roof shingles, masonry repairs, foundation waterproofing, and restorations to the air barrier, flat roofing, gutters, and interior plaster. Stone stairs at the exterior entrances were also patched and repaired, along with an accessibility ramp with metal guardrails.

What is unique about this structure?

The whole Cathedral itself is unique in its appearance. There is a very high clock tower with bells that still operate, and the high-pitched main roof is unique as it was originally slate. While conducting research, the Building Committee discovered old photographs of the original roof. Unfortunately, in the past, the roof had inexpensive asphalt shingles, which changed the original appearance. Luckily, the special diamond pattern of the roof was kept. During the restoration, we were able to find a more modern material that is a slate composite tile, which we used to replace the asphalt. This will make for a roof that will probably last in the vicinity of 75 years.

The new roof illustrates the skillful roof workmanship of the trades that were able to restore the red diamond pattern on the slate grade roof with two lines above and below the diamonds, giving the new roof an authentic appearance.

Are there any sustainable features of the Cathedral?

Modernization was necessary because 110 years ago, people didn’t use much insulation. When we rebuilt the gutters and the flat side roofs on the Cathedral, we installed spray insulation as we progressed to the top of the nave ceiling. The airtight insulation air barrier provided energy savings. The benefits this upgrade brings are energy savings, more quietness, and comfort.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the restoration process?

As you can imagine there are a lot of building components that need repair after a 100-year period. We repaired the handicap ramp and the Tyndall stone steps that lead into the Cathedral, so the masonry work is done. We also added a Work Safe Saskatchewan-approved roof hatch for access to the ceiling space and replaced the copper rainwater drainpipes around the building.

Our work also included designing an addition to the existing columbarium, and we had to repair water that was leaking through the foundation walls. The critical part was to stabilize the Cathedral, stopping the water destruction and making the space usable again. At one point, there was active water coming right in on top of the congregation during Sunday Service. The metal spire was taken down, repaired, and painted with long lasting epoxy paint, and then lifted back into place on the roof ridge. Interestingly, the spire was originally part of the cathedral’s passive ventilation – a unique feature for its time that allowed for the air to be passively vented through the high ceiling and exhausted up through the spire – but was decommissioned years ago.

What work remains to do?

What’s left to do is the restoration of the inside, plaster, and construction on the inside including repointing of the brick masonry. The Cathedral also has unique, custom stained-glass windows that are often donated by families of loved ones, and a few more are still needed.

When do you expect this project to be finished?

It’s difficult to predict because the Building Committee is at the mercy of grants from the government and church organizations, including local businesses partitioners. It may take several more years.

Any final thoughts?

I’m happy with how the building envelope restoration continues. It’s been 11 years, but we are working step by step to slowly repair and restore its features so that it can last another 100 years. It’s nice to see the Cathedral to be used for concerts, conferences, masses, and other events again.

Written by: Anna K. and Vendula Kratochvílová