New set of stones: Historic New Brunswick church set for renovation

NEW BRUNSWICK One of the oldest and most historic churches in New Brunswick and Middlesex County is getting a facelift.

St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, on Somerset Street across from Rutgers Universitys Old Queens building, is having its stones re-pointed with new mortar. Others stones, dating back more than 150 years, are being replaced.

The Rev. Thomas Odorizzi, the church pastor, said the work is the second part of a three-phase, 15-year-plan to restore the church and rectory which, over time, have taken a beating from the elements.

Odorizzi said the first phase of the work included a new roof, gutters and downspouts to "make it watertight."

"This is an old church," he said. "There was significant water damage on the inside, caused by leaks from the gutters and probably the roof."

For the second phase, all of the stones have to be re-pointed or replaced and the pinnacles on the bell tower need to be rebuilt.

"Theres an additional issue," Odorizzi said. "In the 1970s, they put a coating on the stone under the theory that it would keep the water from coming in. The problem is that if water gets in, the coating wont let it get out. The stones have to breathe."

The rectory, which is older than the church, is also undergoing preservation work.

"The facade is being restored to its original clapboard and its getting a new roof and gutters," Odorizzi said. "This is basic preservation."

The third phase restoration of the inside of the church will have to wait until the parish raises enough money to pay for it, he said.

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New set of stones: Historic New Brunswick church set for renovation