Track 6, Presentation 3

An Expert Restoration Contractor’s Approach to Restoring Trinity Church Boston 

Jake Smithwick, PhD

Assistant Professor; University of North Carolina at Charlotte 

Jake.Smithwick@uncc.edu

The Trinity Church is one of oldest continuously operated churches in the United States, and is among the most historically significant structures in Boston. Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson in 1868, the Church presents an exceptional example of the Richardson Romanesque architectural style. The site presented numerous issues associated with water infiltration and subsequent mortar joint failure. This case study presents a detailed synopsis of how an expert contractor restored the entire exterior of the building, including the Northwest Tower, Northeast Turret, West Porch entrance, and the sanctuary. The historic property had unique challenges with respect to intricate details, carvings, and statues – in addition to being an active place of worship. There are four Sunday services and two weekday services attended by nearly 1,000 worshippers, and more than 50,000 annual sightseers. 

The joints were repaired in addition to other stabilization repairs, facade cleaning, brownstone Dutchman repairs, repointing of all masonry joints, crack repair, and application of sealants associated with roofing replacement. The paper provides detailed pictures of the site before work commenced, in- progress detail, and final product -- highlighting the importance of skilled means and methods in historic masonry preservation. The authors also interviewed the onsite project managers to understand their perspective and approach to the project, recommendations for identifying expert contractors, and the unique management considerations for historical restorations. A discussion subsequent to construction completion indicated that the owner was extremely satisfied with the workmanship provided. 

In addition to memorializing the commendable restoration work by the contractor, this paper concludes with a checklist of project management considerations that would be of immediate value to industry practitioners (owners / architects). The paper highlights, above all, the need to develop quality front- end planning documentation and strategies, partner with high performance experts, and quantify final project outcomes. 

Dr. Jake Smithwick is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His research focuses on organizational performance benchmarking within facility management, construction, and business services. He has conducted numerous benchmarking studies in facility management, talent development, project performance, and knowledge management. His industry experience also includes work on more than $500M of procured services, field inspection of nearly 2,000 roofing systems across the United States, and six years in the US Air Force Reserve (civil engineering squadron).