Chapel Restoration Delayed
The architectural plans for the transformation of Schoon Chapel into the Saint Anne’s Oratory are complete. The final “look” is impressive. Unfortunately, work stoppages imposed by the COVID quarantine have forced us to postpone the construction phase one year. The new schedule has construction beginning and ending during the summer of 2021.
During the finalization of plans, we confirmed that the seating capacity of the chapel could be expanded as much as 50% by moving the back wall several feet. It is a load-bearing wall, and this change along with other details that were not part of the original estimate have given us a more complete picture of final expenses. Thankfully, the special gift which we received last Fall still covers nearly 2/3 of all expenses. This next year we will be raising funds to cover the last $100,000.
Amanda working on St. Anne.
COVID disruptions also meant that the iconographer we asked to create 8 original icons for the chapel couldn’t get the materials she needed to start her work. However, new baseboards have arrived from the Ukraine, and this part of the project is moving forward again. It is hoped that most, if not all of the icons will be ready by next summer.