Our Fire
On October 10, 2011, First Church experienced a fire, beginning
in the sacristy and just starting to move into the nave before
Houston's Finest got the blaze under control. The fire was
electrical and the damage was substantial. The organ, a 1903 Kilgen
was totaled, the sacristy was burned out, and the rest of the nave
took on soot, heat and smoke damage. As of Easter of 2013, the
restoration is complete, thanks to some of the finest contractors in
Houston and indeed around the country. Here are some of the changes.
- Replacing our wonderful old organ with a new organ,
commissioned from Martin Pasi, one of America's finest builders.
The organ will be installed in November, 2013.
- Replacing a faux travertine tile with real limestone,
conceived and installed by Cangelosi
- Restored stained glass by Freebird Glass, Inc.
- Completely refinished or replaced woodwork by Megatrend
Designs
- Replacing an older sound system with a new one, designed and
installed by Industrial Audio/Video, Inc.
- Installing new fire protection by Classic Fire Protection
- New electrical service designed and installed by Ty Co
Electrical Service
- Newly designed and installed sound
system by Industrial Audio Video
- Restored plaster by Tobin and Rooney
It was important to us that we honor the architectural
style of our campus and restore the building as accurately as possible. So a
number of the choices we made, especially regarding the stained glass and sound
system will highlight the simple beauty of our space, a simple beauty the
architect intended when conceiving the space in the mid-1920s.
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