Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Cathedral of the Holy Cross - Boston


The Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston completed a two-year, $26 million renovation in April.  


The Cathedral was designed 150 years ago by architect, Patrick Keely in a Gothic revival style.  Elkus Manfredi Architects and Suffolk Construction teamed up on the interior and exterior improvements, including new structural systems, and aesthetic upgrades.  All interior artwork restoration and new decoration was performed by Evergreene Architectural Arts of New York City.  New marble sanctuary furniture was executed by Henninger’s.  Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley noted during Palm Sunday mass, “We are blessed to be able to preserve this wonderful worship site for generations to follow as a testament to the historical significance it holds today and for its chapters still to be written.”  




Providing a new Altar for a Cathedral was a real thrill.  Special care was taken to match the species of marbles in the existing Altars.  Each quatrefoil panel received an etched and gilded cross to match the historic Altars.  A Celtic knot running along the mensa was a special touch which was favored by the Irish-American parishioners of the Cathedral Parish.  







 Cathedral Rector, Msgr. Kevin J. O'Leary was especially pleased with the new altar.

The installation of this ambo was a challenge for our crew.  it is built into the steps leading up to the sanctuary.  The completed Ambo fits seamlessly into the Cathedral, design aesthetic.







We were honored to handle this massive font for Cathedral of the Holy Cross.  Its design matches perfectly with the new Altar and Ambo, along with the Cathedral's historic Altars.  The species of marble are a perfect match to the colors and veining of existing Altars.



Working on such an important part of a huge Cathedral renovation was a dream come true.  We are grateful to all who collaborated in this, and grateful to God for giving us the opportunity to execute this work.

Monday, March 18, 2019

St. Mary Church - Defiance Ohio



Henninger's is very proud to have been a part of the recent renovation of St. Mary Church in Defiance.  Here are a couple of before and after pictures to show the transformation of this beautiful church.

Before and After Pictures

Facade of Choir Loft - Before Renovation
Facade of Choir Loft - After Renovation

Sanctuary - Before

Sanctuary - After
 To assist St. Mary's fundraising efforts, Henninger's artists made the following watercolor designs.  These images helped to build enthusiasm for the project and were used as a guide for the style, shape, and finish of various pieces.

Artist Watercolor Designs

Artist's rendition of renovated church

Artist's rendition of renovated church

Artist's rendition of renovated church

While the entire church was renovated, from floor to ceiling, Henninger's was tasked with the following work:

  • Custom Wood Furniture
    • Ambo with granite book holder
    • Altar of Sacrifice with granite mensa
    • Altar of Repose with granite mensa
    • Presider’s Chair
    • Two Deacon Chairs
    • Baptismal Font with mosaic bowl and granite top
    • Ambry
  • Custom Wood Panels and Trim throughout church
    • Gothic wall panels – 4 sanctuary walls
    • Balcony wall – Gothic panels and modify railings
    • New wood panels on 3 risers leading up to tabernacle & 3 risers leading up to sanctuary
    • Wood columns on stair railings
    • Frames on Marian and Joseph Shrines
    • Frames of Four Evangelists
    • Quatrefoil carvings on face of wainscoting
  • Pew refinishing
  • New kneelers
 All of the new wood furniture was built and installed by New Holland Church Furniture.

Ambo
Ambo Design
Ambo Design

Ambo in Wood Shop

Installed Ambo
Ambo installed

Corinthian Capital Detail on Ambo

Altar of Sacrifice

Altar of Sacrifice Design

Installed Altar of Sacrifice

Altar of Repose

Installed Altar of Repose

Baptismal Font

The baptismal font offered an interesting challenge for Henninger's team.  Our service team has a motto of "we'll figure it out".  So when they were asked to create a new bowl with mosaic tiles 44" in diameter, they engineered a new system to make a smooth, watertight bowl out of Venetian tile.

Baptismal Font Design
Fabrication of new bowl
New Mosaic Bowl

New Mosaic Bowl


New Mosaic Bowl

Baptismal Font in Wood Shop
Installed Baptismal Font

Wood Panels and Trim throughout Church

Quatrefoils in Wood Shop
Gothic Panels in Wood Shop

Quatrefoils on Wainscoting
Risers
Gothic Panels in Sanctuary

Detail of Quatrefoil Cut Outs on Risers



Gothic Frame for Evangelists
Gothic Frame for St. Joseph


Pew Refinishing and New Kneelers


Pew Frontal
Pew End

Custom Kneelers

Henninger's owes a big thank you to the hard work of many of our employees, the team at New Holland Church Furniture, Fr. Randy Giesige, and the entire staff at St. Mary.  We are thrilled to help bring new life to this breathtaking church in Northwest Ohio.



Photo credit: Nick Heyob