Old Colony Archives
Building A Better Belfry
Old Colony shop rebuilds church structure
By Kenneth J. Souza, Writer, The Wanderer
May 16, 2003
Carpentry and woodworking students at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in Rochester have been busy this year rebuilding the belfry of the historic, 161-year-old "Old North" Rochester Congregational Church on North Avenue. Under the guidance of longtime shop instructor and Rochester Building Inspector Robert Francis, some eight juniors at the school have worked to recreate the rotted and dilapidated structure since last October. The year-long project is expected to be completed by the end of the month.
"(The church) initially wanted us to repair the rotted beams and put new siding on (the existing belfry)," Mr. Francis said. "When I got down there, I saw all the beams were gone. They were all rotted ... and infested. I figured it would be easier to build (a new one)."
The unique project not only gave students hands-on experience with constructing a post-and-beam framed structure, but also in working with a PVC-like white siding material called Azek which, according to Mr. Francis, will outlast traditional wood and not require repainting.
The structure's inner frame, however, required six-inch pressure-treated beams to not only support the belfry but also the 1869-era, one-and-a-half-inch-thick bronze bell inside, which Old Colony students also worked to polish and clean up.
"The bell is bolted in, it weighs about 500 pounds," Mr. Francis said. "We put it in before we put the coverings in so we wouldn't damage it, because it's pretty heavy."
Mr. Francis said he tries to find a "major project" like this for his students each year and the Old North Rochester Congregational Church became his latest pick when the church officials approached him last year. He makes a concerted effort to find projects within any of the district's member towns that will benefit a majority of people. In the past, they've done other impressive projects such as the gazebo located next to the Acushnet Town Hall, cabinets for the Rochester Senior Center, and even an eye-catching gazebo of their own, located on the turnaround at the entrance to Old Colony, replete with a tell-tale "cougar" weathervane -- the school's mascot.
"Last year we did a lot of cabinet work," Mr. Francis said, adding that they are also currently finishing off a cabinet order for the Lakeville Senior Center. "There's always somebody who wants something done. Some of them are good projects, others are just maintenance work. 'Will we paint all the windows in the school?' No, we won't do that."
Before attempting to contact Mr. Francis about a potential project of your own, the 27-year-shop-veteran explained that the few projects which are selected are chosen to benefit both those requesting the work and the students performing the labor. "I try to look for something that has value to the kids," he said. "Like this project ... it had post-and-beam, it had new siding, all kind of joineries that they would normally never get in touch with, so it was a good project. We actually ended up borrowing machines from contractors to do the post-and-beam part of it."
although the church is just a scant distance from the high school, the structure was deemed too high to allow students to work onsite while it was still precariously perched on the roof, so the entire belfry was removed and brought to Old Colony Regional Voke last fall. The original sagging belfry now sits looking old and tired next to its nearly-completed successor just outside the school's carpentry shop. Mr. Francis said they built the new replacement to the exact specifications of the original and kept it there for comparison.
The fate of the now-rotted historic belfry will likely be demolition -- or collapse -- by the time the newly-built structure hand-crafted by Old Colony students is installed atop the "Old North" later this month.
"I want to get it done before the end of school, so we can get it back up to the church," Mr. Francis said. "We're pretty much done -- all the parts are made now, we're just putting the last bits on."