Founded in 1858, the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Napa, CA, underwent a $850,000 renovation to its sanctuary last year that included innovative use of natural stone. In addition to an elaborate travertine staircase leading to the tabernacle, the church has an altar made from 16 custom-cut slabs of Crema Bordeaux granite, which was fabricated and installed by Pinnacle Stone & Tile of Fairfield, CA.
The slabs were cut to size using a Fusion 4000 bridge saw/waterjet from Park Industries, and the edges were processed using a Park Titan CNC stoneworking center. Moreover, advanced nesting software was a key component of the process.