LACROSSE, Wis. – Crews will begin repairs next week on the Cathedral stone spire that dominates LaCrosse skyscape. More than 229 stones, weighing a total of 70,000 pounds, will be removed from the 216-foot bell tower and replaced. It’s been almost 58 years since the Saint Joseph the Workman Cathedral was built on Main Street near downtown. “Now is the time for an exterior and interior overhaul to bring the cathedral back to its original magnificence,” Bishop William Callahan. Steve Mar-Pohl, president of InSite Consulting Architects for the project, said the Indiana Bedford oolitic limestone stones on the bell tower has been problematic for years. When built, the technological thinking was that the stone didn’t need to be connected to the structure. Wrong. In the early 1970s, the steeple height was reduced for fear of falling stone. The new restoration project includes modern systems, materials, and techniques to help the limestone survive the elements.
Peeling limestone. It’s 200 feet down to street level.