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Architects, builders reflect on journey of constructing new Co-Cathedral

By JONAH DYCUS
Herald Staff Writer

HOUSTON – When R. Scott Ziegler toured European cathedrals with his wife three decades ago, the co-founder of local architectural firm Ziegler Cooper remembers the genuine appreciation he felt for the visionaries of that era.

“When you walk into a cathedral, you realize the bishop had a lot of courage and vision because they knew when they were starting a project they would never see it completed,” he said. “Those cathedrals took multiple generations to build, and that gave me goose bumps.”

The chief architect of the new Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart admits that he gets similar chills looking around the structure he helped design for downtown Houston. “It still gives me goose bumps to think that we can do this in seven years,” he said, glancing around the Co-Cathedral’s worship space days before its dedication. “It seems like a long time, but it has only been a nanosecond.”

Ziegler said that he and his team of architects tried to achieve “magnificent interplay of light and space” in a structure they felt was representative of those centuries-old cathedrals he had visited years ago.

“We worked on bringing the light in from above, from all of the glass around the dome,” Ziegler said. The high-arching dome includes windows representing the Holy Spirit and the 12 Apostles. “We wanted the light from all of our windows to penetrate deeply into this space because it is that filtering of light that gives you that feeling of sacredness,” he added.

Designers also implemented a deliberately grand scale for the cruciform structure. The interior nave is 72 feet tall, while the dome peaks at 117 feet. “It is an unfamiliar scale, but this is a house of God and it should be different than everything else,” Ziegler said.

The architect also applauded the craftsmen on assignment, which included the efforts of Linbeck, the construction company managing the project.

“I think it is the craftsmanship – all of the artisans and craftsmen who came together – that makes this a special place. You get a project of this importance and everyone raises the bar,” Ziegler said. “They push a little harder, they dig a little deeper and they elevate their art form. The selection of materials and the craftsmanship of materials were done with great care because (the Co-Cathedral) has to be here a long time, and you want it to be beautiful.”

Among the materials used for the Co-Cathedral were 8,000 cubic yards of concrete, 30,000 square feet of marble in the Co-Cathedral’s interior and 5,000 square feet of stained glass in the building.

Tobin & Rooney were the lathing and plastering contractors for the Co-Cathedral. There are approximately 86,000 square feet of plaster on the Co-Cathedral’s walls and ceilings.

George H. Brueggeman is the president of Tobin & Rooney.

“I am representative of hundreds of subcontractors who have worked on this project, and we were all really proud to take part in this,” Brueggeman said. “Everyone was very proud to be associated with this project. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us, and the building just looks gorgeous.”

Ziegler said the structure exists in perfect proportion (or “mathematical harmony,” in architectural lingo). “To accommodate all of the artwork, all of the sculptures, all of the religious functionality that is required and to still maintain all of the proportions is very challenging. Every stone that you see was painstakingly drawn and planned on paper before it was put out – both the exterior and interior,” he said. “There was a lot of prep work. But it was a labor of love.”

The architect said he is proud of his involvement in the city’s new landmark. “I would say I feel blessed that we were given a chance to do this. But in terms of the life of an architect, there is no more profound, humbling and rewarding experience than designing a cathedral,” he said. “Just seeing the joy in people’s eyes when they walk in – that is our joy. It was a life-changing experience for our team.”

Father Troy Gately, Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart rector and a regular presence at the worksite, believes they made a place of worship for the ages.

“It was everything we had planned it to be. With the goals of having the structure of the building speak of the transcendence and luminosity of God, with the artwork and appointments speaking of the eminence of God – I think we accomplished that successfully,” Father Gately said. “One of the things that we set out to do is to build a great Co-Cathedral for a great city. It will be something that not only the Catholic community can take pride in, but the entire greater Houston community.

“Houston is a dynamic city, Houston is a modern city, yet it is a city with strong values. And this building reflects that,” he added.

After the groundbreaking in 2005, Linbeck went to work on the $39 million project, located at the corner of St. Joseph Parkway and San Jacinto in downtown Houston.

According to Mark Gore, project manager from Linbeck, more than 500 total laborers worked on the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. “Every one of those workers left a part of them here because they felt this was something special and they treated it that way,” Gore said.

Linbeck also had its share of challenges during the construction process, Gore cited. He referred to creating a concrete structure which featured 80-foot tall walls and the complex network of scaffolding used to reach all of the high spaces inside. “We had a lot of scaffolding up in the dome, which is over 100 feet,” Gore said. “You have to build that scaffold to accommodate several different trades, and those individuals were all working in different spots.”

Installing the liturgical furnishings also proved to be a tough task. After opening the imported crates on-site, workers had to figure out what to do with the contents within. “Most of the artwork and sculptures came from Italy with very little details on how to install it. We would just look at it and say, ‘Well, this is how we are going to do it,’” Gore chuckled. “With a 12,000-pound marble sculpture, you don’t just throw it up on the walls. It’s a pretty big deal.”

A mainstay throughout the whole construction process, Gore developed a profound connection with Houston’s new addition to the skyline. “This building means a lot to me personally. When you come in here, you immediately see that it is a great space,” he smiled. “But walking people through here – the donors, the parishioners – during the course of the project, you can tell what they are feeling just by looking at the grins on their faces, which go from ear to ear. And that’s what makes it special for us.”

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