New Wrinkle . . .

Just kidding, really, but what do you call a new addition to the face of this Grand Old Lady who is soon to celebrate her 124th birthday?

Since sometime in the 1970's the exterior signs on the church building have been serviceable, but a bit incongruous with the historic facade of the building.  They were black metal boxes with a decorative panel at the top and lit on the inside at night.  

Until about 10 years ago, content was spelled out on a felt board inside the sign box with white plastic letters.  Content changes were, no doubt, tedious.  More recently content was displayed on a foam core board inside the sign box.

One of the projects planned for our Third Century renovation was improvement of outdoor signage.  That day has finally arrived.  New wooden signs are being installed on the building.  They are replicas of signs that were previously in use.  They will be mounted in the same position as the old metal sign boxes.

The first step in the installation was to remove the old signs.  MTS Contractors of Kansas City are the installers, attaching the signs directly to the exterior masonry.  We didn't know the condition of the bricks and mortar under the old signs.  On the north side it was fine.

The west side is in need of tuck pointing which will be done later this week, after which the west sign will be installed.

  Acme Sign in North Kansas City did a beautiful job on the design and its realization.  The hand-painted mahogany signs were stained to coordinate with the red brick building and the mahogany doors installed in 2009.  They include removable Lucite panels which will allow St. Mary's to display service times in different seasons of the year and times for special services.  The signs direct passers by to the church office on the south side of the building and to the parish Web site.

 The sign on the north side went up this morning and it looks great.

Fire Cleanup is Underway

Service Master moved into the church on Tuesday afternoon and started odor abatement immediately. The nave, parish hall and basement have been full of fans and air cleaning machines for the last 36 hours.

Smoke contamination was worst in the basement restrooms which were part of our 2010 renovation. The repair contractors will assess their condition today and tomorrow and develop a plan for repairs.



The floor of the nave is vibrating with the force of half a dozen air filters. They force the air through a charcoal filter and impart hydrogen and oxygen molecules to the space. We're accustomed to having the nave smell like incense - right now it smells more like a new car.



As many of you know, St. Mary's is said to harbor at least one ghost. One wonders about his reaction to the continuous hum and vibration of his haunt since Tuesday evening.

Fire at St. Mary's March 6

Yesterday, Tuesday, March 6, we had a fire at St. Mary's. A carelessly dropped cigarette set dry grass on fire near the building and the high winds fed the fire. It was discovered quickly and the KCFD was able to put it out soon after their arrival. No one was injured.


A small area of the south exterior wall is damaged. The inside of the exterior wall in the basement hallway has minor fire damage. The drywall has been removed because of exposure to water as the fire was brought under control. Much of the building was exposed to smoke. Fortunately the sacristy where vestments and linens are stored was unaffected by smoke. There was a light haze in the nave and more in the parish hall. The downstairs restrooms and west basement were most affected by smoke.


Odor abatement and cleanup of water began last night, a few hours after the fire was controlled. Damage assessment continues in the basement. The areas affected by the fire were included in the parish hall renovation project in the spring and summer of 2010 and the basement and 2nd floor renovation that was completed last spring. It's disheartening to be contemplating repairs on these areas so newly renovated. But the memory of their construction is fresh, and we have recent photos which have been helpful in assessing damage and smoke exposure and planning how it will be addresses.


A sad casualty of the fire was one of the building's original windows. It was fully enclosed between the interior and exterior walls, but happened to be in the path of the fire. It has been removed and stored, but the glass is broken and the frame is charred.

We're working out details of how our hunger relief outreach programs will operate this weekend. Details will be posted on the St. Mary's Facebook page and will be communicated via email to volunteers.