Saint Joseph Church, a 1910 Richardson Romanesque style church, was designed by Joseph A. Jackson (1861-1940) from New York City. It was the first church built in the then newly formed Trenton Diocese. The actual parish was officially founded on Sept. 24, 1882. Both corner stones are at the front façade of the church.
Restoration, a five-year process which began in 2018, became necessary when a large section of copper broke free from the north tower dome and was blown away by the north winds that prevail at the 88-foot tower height. Although the loose copper was secured by a steeple jack numerous times, it continually broke free, as the wooden structure of the dome was dry rotted. This discovery sparked the process of getting quotes for the needed repairs to address the domes, stonework, painting, stained glass windows and other needed repairs for the 110-year-old structure.
Permissions were granted to move forward on fundraising, as well as triple bids secured from all the potential trades that would be involved in the project. Once all of these steps were completed, including obtaining insurance retainers, a final selection of contractors was made and fund raising continued. Unfortunately, the north tower dome continued to deteriorate as several hard winters passed followed by heavy summer rains. Finally, on July 5, 2023, work began.
The stone repointing was first. All of the porous mortar joints between stones was ground out and repointed with new cement. A “milk product” chemical was added to the cement to make it waterproof. This prevented any more leaks through the stone joints. The stonework restoration was a large component of the overall project with seven masons working six days a week. This work included both the stonework and moving and rebuilding scaffolding all the way around the exterior of the church.
The scaffolding firm from north Jersey had engineered a way to wrap the north tower so all of the trades that needed to use the staging could: painters, masons, coppersmiths, and steeplejacks who hailed from Connecticut. Once the various trades were able to reach the upper levels of the tower, both under and above the dome, a true assessment could be made concerning the actual dome restoration work that would be required.
The hole in the dome went through the wood top and all support rafters making it an easy home for nesting birds. The 14-penny weight copper from 1910 had so disintegrated that it just gave way. The north tower dome was disassembled and rebuilt with new beams, sheeting and then finished with ice and water shield material. Twenty- penny weight copper was fabricated and installed over the next month.
Meanwhile all wood and metal surfaces were scraped, caulked and painted. Stone pointing continued and additional carpentry and painting was completed on the dome underside. The new 23-carat gold leafed cross was set in place on the north tower on Sept. 8, 2023.
The scaffolding was disassembled and moved to the south tower on Sept. 19, 2023. This initiated the continuation of the process begun on the north tower. Since all work had been completed regarding the bulk of the exterior renovation, all work became focused on the south tower.
While numerous issues arose, the previous work on the north tower helped to speed the work along. The gilded cross for the south tower was set and blessed on Nov. 8, 2023.
All work was complete on Nov. 13, 2023 – a completion time of 139 days with 35 men and one woman as project manager. The scaffolding was removed the following week just in time for Thanksgiving.
The support from the parish in prayer and contributions has been remarkable. St. Joseph in North Plainfield now stands as a beacon to both its parishioners and the wider communities surrounding her.
The contractors involved in the process believe the church’s exterior is good for another one hundred and fifty years.
Compiled by Mary Morrell, editor-in-chief, through an interview with Meg Poltorak Keyes, project manager and design consultant, as well as a long-time member of St. Joseph Parish, North Plainfield. Keyes, who holds a BFA from Caldwell University has also completed liturgical design projects, including full interior and exterior renovations, for the parishes of Our Lady of Victories, Sayreville; St. Mary-Stony Hill, Watchung; St. Charles Borromeo, Skillman; St. Thomas the Apostle, Old Bridge, and Corpus Christi, South River.