Anthony J. Segreti, the superintending architect for the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., conducted a survey and reported on the condition of Trinity’s chapel in March of 2000. In his report, Segreti confirmed widespread deterioration in the chapel pointing, masonry, and roofing system. Segreti’s estimate for addressing these problems at that time was $5 million. In the past few months, says President Richard H. Hersh, Trinity has raised approximately $2 million of the $5 million required to complete the job.

“It’s not a ‘should we or shouldn’t we’ situation,” says Ronald Thomas, College vice president. “It’s a ‘we must’ situation.” In a presentation last month, Thomas and Senior Vice President of Finance Michael West reported that, based on initial assessments of damage to the east façade, it was decided that the project begin on that side of the structure. While much of the renovation to the east façade was completed over the summer, it was soon discovered that the west façade was in no better, and perhaps slightly worse, condition. The National Cathedral, which was designed by architect Philip H. Frohman, the same architect who designed the Trinity Chapel, and was built during the same period, has suffered the same conditions and has been undergoing a similar repair, Thomas says. 

With winter looming, replacement stones have been shipped onto campus from Indiana. Some of the limestone blocks have been cut off site, while others are cut and even hand-carved to fit on site by veteran masons. Worn grout joints are being cut and refilled with mortar and an outer layer of silicon, which adds flexibility to the joints and shields them from water. The silicon is topped with a final layer of sand to mimic the appearance of the chapel’s original mortar joints. 

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