Old Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

Archdiocese of St. Louis Saint Louis, MO

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The Basilica of Saint Louis, known fondly as the "Old Cathedral," is a St. Louis landmark that has stood its ground since 1834, serving as an important landmark and religious building for the city. The building escaped the great St. Louis fire of 1849 and a massive demolition program in the 1930s. When the Archdiocese of St. Louis decided to embark on a major $15 million restoration program entirely funded by private donations, they chose Mackey Mitchell Architects and Musick Constructtion Company to lead the renovation effort. Interior renovations involved restoration of wood floors, removal of finishes from a 1960's renovation, new lighting, and repair of the mosaic tile floor around the altar.
Shape
Working closely with historic masonry specialist John Speweik of Chicago, Superior Waterproofing and Restoration, stone supplier Earthworks, EverGreen Architectural Arts, and Saint Louis Antique Lighting among others, the entire team brought interior and exterior architectural design features back to life. The ultimate goal was to maintain the building and apply corrective measures, making it as historically consistent as possible. The team of experts, artisans, donors and owner's representatives had a unified passion for restoring this significant historic church to achieve exceptional results.
Inspire
Today, there is a renewed focus on the St. Louis Riverfront with the City+Arch+River 2015 initiative, commissioned to better weave the Gateway Arch and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial into the fabric of downtown St. Louis. The restored Old Cathedral serves as a reminder of the importance of the Westward Expansion movement as it sits beneath one of our nation's most prestigious and recognizable monuments. The rebirth of the Old Cathedral's museum (currently under construction) will provide an additional attraction on the St. Louis Arch Grounds.

Passion + Perspective

The last interior renovations were done in the 1950s by the firm Murphy Mackey - a firm founded by Gene Mackey's father.
The 180-year old windows were replaced with modern materials, but their appearance was not altered.
Since the existing stone had deteriorated in inconsistent patterns, the challenge was how to redress the stone to create a more consistent, but not straight, line.
The entire project team was fascinated by the work of Speweik Preservation Consultants. Founder of the company, John Speweik is a fifth generation mason from a family of masons (1870) from Prussia. Pieces of broken stone used on the original Old Cathedral building were ground down and used for mortar in this masonry restoration project.
Through an intense analysis and acetate rubbings of the walls, EverGreene Architectural Arts uncovered the various layers and the final selection was the "Victorian" palette date back to the 1890s.