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Major renovations underway at NOLA's St. Louis Cathedral, how you can help
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The St. Louis Cathedral has been the city's center of worship for over 280 years, but the current building has stood for almost 175 years.
That building now needs special care. WGNO's LBJ and Photographer Jeff Kent got a chance to document the work being done and what it will cost to save this historic landmark.
New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson explained, 'For many, many years it was just neglected. I mean when you go in the building initially it looks beautiful. But if you look a little closer, you could see the plaster coming down, and the art work is not as polished as it was.'
Benson is a longtime parishioner of the cathedral and she's leading the effort to restore this national treasure, where the damage to the structure has mostly been caused by our city's location in the Southern U.S. and the climate we live in.
'It's the combination of heat, water, sometimes we get extreme cold and then when air conditioning inside the cathedral meets that hot humid air outside all kinds of bad things happen near the entryway. So weather and occasional hurricanes, that's a problem. This is a common problem on any older building in the French Quarter and elsewhere, but it's water intrusion from the outside,' said Executive Director of the Catholic Cultural Center Chris Wiseman.
The work has already begun and it's expected to take three to four years. The team is also taking extra care with the damaged art that adorns the walls and ceilings of the cathedral.
'This is canvas, painted and placed on there so you'll see later this summer we'll have scaffolding. We'll do some analysis to see what it will take to get that canvas off, restore it, and then put it back,' said Wiseman.
The restoration planners also drew on an internationally famous cathedral renovation for their expertise.
'Mrs. Benson actually sent out two lead architects to Paris so they could talk to the people doing the Notre Dame renovation and learn some things,' according to Wiseman.
At a cost of over $45 million to repair and restore the exterior and interior, Benson has been generous in her giving and solicited donations from around the world.
But there is also an appeal to locals who hold the church dear and want to see it preserved.
'Everybody needs to have and invested interest in this and if they do, then they know they were a part of it and we get a lot of checks for small amounts which is very touching because it shows me that these people really care,' said Benson.
There are also plans for a new, larger gift shop where the rectory now resides, and two new restrooms.
To donate toward the St. Louisiana Cathedral renovation, visit the Our City, Our Cathedral renovations underway at NOLA's St. Louis Cathedral, how you can help
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