St. Joseph Parish

The St. Joseph Parish project involved two small additions and a 12,000 square foot renovation of the historic St. Joseph Parish sanctuary in Cockeysville, Maryland. The intent behind the additions was to facilitate a new radiused seating scheme, rather than a “T” shaped layout where a large portion of the congregation had to view the mass’s celebrants from the side. The footprint of the building had to be enlarged to accommodate this expanded, cohesive seating layout, while maintaining the historic integrity of the building and not draw attention to the extensive work required to complete it. To meet this objective, our skilled team had to meticulously shore up the original structure and seamlessly integrate the new sections with the historic stone, copper gutters & downspouts, and slate roof, navigating immovable obstructions (foundation rock, etc) that were pervasive beneath the church.

In addition to the exterior wall modifications and various ADA site improvements, CAM’s work included the construction of a new altar and stone arch, new ductwork and HVAC distribution, ornamental tile flooring, a coffered ceiling system with a dome and back-lit stain glass oculus, and a radiused cornice with cove lighting around the perimeter of the sanctuary. All of the original stained-glass windows had to be removed and reinstalled due to the extensive drywall finishing work taking place around it.  The building is now equipped with a new sprinkler system, architectural lighting, and hand-crafted millwork. MEP upgrades were made throughout the facility to extend the life and enhance the efficiency of existing equipment.

This project required numerous skilled trades to complete the myriad challenging tasks presented. Most notably, the vast majority of new framing and drywall work had to be conducted from a suspended scaffolding platform to remove the old wood ceiling without damaging the original historic wood roof framing above. This challenge was compounded by the need to conceal the new mechanical distribution throughout before finishing installation of the coffered ceiling system. Along with the custom-built coffers, CAM’s craftsmen created an expansive hand-painted dome within the center of the sanctuary.

Several unforeseen circumstances resulted in a temporary 2-month delay within the 11-month project timeline. This delay required CAM to creatively adjust the schedule and simultaneously work on tasks in order to make up for lost time and still beat the hard deadline of opening by Holy Week (March 25, 2024). In the early stages of work, the rock that was discovered within the historic portion of the church required CAM to redesign the work area within the basement to one half the original size and relocate the Fire Alarm Control Panel to the other side of the room. Asbestos was also discovered within the waterproofing of the historic church, which required extensive abatement. Another issue encountered during the demo phase was an underground heating and water system close to the slab on-grad, which required additional time for replacement. To overcome these hurdles, CAM’s superintendent and project manager rallied the trades and doubled down on close coordination, diligently scheduling tasks be completed concurrently while ensuring these activities were not obstructing one another. CAM was also able to recover this time by working weekends and overtime (without going over-budget), and by maneuvering the scaffolding so that interior renovations for the finishes and the ceiling could be completed simultaneously. This effort required significant cooperation between all trades and supervisors, because it was imperative that work completed from the scaffolding was executed such that it did not present any safety risks to the trades working on the floor trusses below.

CAM also had to coordinate closely with the owner to provide a safe working environment that would not impact the operations of the adjacent, occupied, K-8^th school facility. To this effort, CAM coordinated deliveries so that they would not overlap with drop-off and pick-up times for the students. Furthermore, CAM worked closely with utility companies so that electricity and water services were never disrupted during the school’s hours of operation.

On several occasions, CAM saw opportunities to save the owner cost by value engineering different alternatives to line items that had to be purchased. The most significant opportunities presented themselves in the lighting systems and the heating system regulation. By suggesting an alternative regulation to the heating system and enlisting a different lighting supplier who could custom-fabricate a comparable pendant fixture, CAM was able to generate over $100,000 in savings for the owner—a substantial percentage of those respective line items.

This project has a significant communal impact which CAM embraced throughout its various phases. The most storied aspect of this project lies within St. Joseph Parish’s connection to the local Beaver Dam Quarry. When the church was first constructed, stones from the quarry were used to create the building, and many of the immigrant quarry workers were members of the parish. For this project, CAM created a stone arch surrounding the crucifix, above the new tabernacle, sourcing stones from that very same quarry with which the church was originally built. We were joined by the monsignor and architect to hand-select the new stones which had the most authentic look and feel. This feature not only serves as only the most prominent visual focal point behind the priest during mass, but also as a reminder that the parish is a place built from the community and for the community.