Methodist church reattaches wall to sanctuary

One of the most visible wounds the Napa earthquake inflicted on the city was its blow to First United Methodist Church specifically to its faade, which was left lurching toward Randolph Street.

On Friday, an array of machinery began painstakingly raising the edge of the roof over the 98-year-old Methodist sanctuary, allowing work crews to shift the front wall to its correct position. Church members said this culmination of two weeks of repairs completes the first stage in shoring up the building, a process expected to require at least six months and more than $1 million.

I dont think the process will be very dynamic, Jon Lander, a member of the Napa Methodist church and liaison to engineers on the repair project, said Thursday. At least I hope its not dynamic, because if it is, something went wrong. We have a big stained-glass window that were trying to protect, which is probably worth more than that whole wall.

A member of First United Methodist and a civil engineer for 39 years, Lander is assisting the Pullman engineering firms Bay Area branch in identifying damage and weak spots in the sanctuary, which opened in 1916.

After the magnitude-6.0 quake extensively damaged several downtown landmarks, the Methodist church at first seemed in danger of losing its front wall, which separated 20 inches from the remaining structure at the roofline. But church and engineering officials determined the wall could be reattached because its construction of wood, lath and plaster made it lighter and more supple than originally believed.

Repairs began nearly two weeks ago, and will move to their second stage Monday, according to Lander. Starting next week, workers will open church walls to analyze the structure and determine whether new structural supports are needed, and where. The inquiry is expected to help engineers refine the cost estimate by mid-October.

In the absence of architect Luther Turtons plans for the Napa Methodist church, engineers are studying another Methodist sanctuary of similar age and design in Sebastopol to guide the repair effort, Lander said.

In the days after the quake, the church contacted the Napa County Historical Society in hopes of finding the plans among Turtons collected blueprints, according to Nancy Levenberg, the societys executive director. However, the historical societys archive at the downtown Goodman Library has been red-tagged and off limits due to earthquake damage.

The church expects to receive financial help with repairs from other Methodist congregations in the region, Lander said. In addition, the church may use this event to perform some desired modernization, he said.

Church offices in an attached annex have reopened, along with the Hope Resource Center, which shares a natural gas connection with the church and lost service after the earthquake. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is expected to give the center its own gas connection by next weekend to allow the center to offer hot showers.

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Methodist church reattaches wall to sanctuary