After fire destroyed the Cathedral’s original wood-framed structure built in 1887, a new masonry structure was completed in 1906. Nearly a century later, McMonigal designed an addition that carefully blends with the existing building, while bringing access with an elevator and the first restroom in the church. Scaled to complement the mass of the existing Cathedral, the addition’s front face is placed slightly behind the original and is held back from the south face of the sanctuary allowing daylight to flood through the stained-glass windows. Outside, carefully matched copper cornices, window openings, and stone and brick details all pay tribute to the original. Inside, the addition is airy and bright, and simply finished in durable materials, which all stand in pleasing contrast to the highly ornate interior of the original building.
McMonigal Architects recently completed replacing some windows at the Cathedral.