St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, NYC

St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, located at 22 Barclay Street in Manhattan next to the World Trade Center, was founded in 1836 and is the oldest Catholic Church in the State of New York.

Designated a New York City Landmark in 1965, it was added to The National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The church was damaged on 9-11 when landing gear from one of the jets attacking the World Trade Center tore through the roof.

The pews, which appear to date from the 20's, have had multiple coats of paint applied after their original installation. After testing the paint and underlying finishes, The Keck Group was surprised to discover that the existing wood was birch, and the pews had been finished in a reddish-brown mahogany natural finish.

As you can see in the sample pictures, the initial test on the seat did not prove successful, and it was questionable whether all the paint could be completely removed from the grain to allow for a thorough restoration to a natural finish.

Using the most up-to-date techniques, The Keck Group technicians were able to remove the paint from one quarter of the pew, and apply a natural finish, exposing the beautiful grain pattern that had been hidden beneath the paint for the past sixty years. When the powers that be saw the sample, they lost no time in awarding The Keck Group the contract and we began work immediately.

Once we got the pews to the shop, we were able to confirm conclusively that they once had a natural finish, as evidenced by the inside of the drop back on the rear pew, where the natural finish still shows. (see picture 5)

Picture one shows the exterior of the church; picture two, the painted gray pews in the church; picture three shows the sample we provided; and picture four shows the job underway with eight pews having had the finish removed and getting ready for staining.

We will continue to post updates on our website so you can see how the project is progressing.