New Steeple Makes Church, City Rejoice
Where were you when the steeple fell?
The Roanoke Times - Mar 6, 2002
Story & Photos by Matt Chittum

Those who watched as the National Historic Landmark Lexington Presbyterian Church was consumed by fire in July 2000 inevitably ask that question. It was the most dramatic moment of that unhappy morning.The skyline of the busiest intersection in town was changed radically. And since then, the church - roofless for a long time and still encased in scaffolding - just hasn't looked like a place where people worship God.

Until Tuesday, that is, when a brand-new, 80-foot steeple, painstakingly fashioned after the original, was erected atop the 157-year-old church where Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson prayed.

"I think it signals that the church is back," said church member R.J. Ogren. "It just sends chills through you." Ogren's wife, Suzanne, and many others succumbed to tears as the steeple went up in two sections. "It's the finger pointing to heaven," said the Rev. Bill Klein, pastor of the church.

But the return of the steeple with its four clock faces meant almost as much to Lexingtonians who don't attend the church. Frank Parsons, project coordinator for the reconstruction, said people set their watches by the clock and used it as a landmark when giving directions to out-of-town visitors. "It's something that ought to be there and it's not there," Parsons said moments before a crane hoisted the 18,500-pound, 38-foot bottom section into place.

The steeple was constructed by Blue Ridge Timberwrights of Shawsville. No drawings for the steeple existed. Train & Partners Architects of Charlottesville used photographs - many taken the day of the fire - and measurements from surviving pieces to reconstruct its appearance, Parsons said.

For the interior structure, the timberwrights turned to the steeple of Christiansburg Presbyterian Church, which they reconstructed in 1994. The two churches were built about the same time, and may have been built by the same steeplejack.

"Maybe it was nothing like it inside, but it was the best we had to go on," said John Mumaw, who drew up the plans for the steeple.

The whole structure cost $170,000, which is just a small part of the estimated $4.5 million cost of the rebuilding. The church will use every penny of its $3.7 million insurance coverage, and is starting a fund-raising campaign to cover items the insurance won't pay for. That includes a new pipe organ and some interior changes.

Insurance company approval for different phases of the project have delayed it, said John Gardner of Roanoke-based J.M. Turner, the general contractor, but the church should be complete by the end of the year.

In the meantime, the church continues to hold services in its fellowship hall. As the first section of the new steeple was set into place Tuesday, the crane cables went slack and a crowd of several hundred cheered. They cheered again when a worker straddled the bell inside the steeple and rocked it until it chimed.

The 42-foot copper spire, painted antique white, was raised next, prompting more cheers. A brand-new copper finial, the pointy ball that goes on top, was last. It was made by Natural Bridge blacksmith Lee Sauder.

With the steeple in place, piercing a cloudless blue sky, many onlookers became emotional. "I just wish Pat Brady was here to see it," said Mike Strickler, who serves on the church committee supervising the rebuilding. Brady had worked closely with Parsons on the project until his death in October.

Church member Leroy Hammond said as tragic as the fire was, it had strengthened the church and brought its members closer together. It reminded him of a Bible verse, he said, Romans 8:28: "In all things God works for the good of those who love him."