Approximately 905 tons of full color Indiana limestone was used. The veneer finish was snapped dimensional from 2 ¼- to 13 ¼-inch heights and random lengths. All cut stone was Indiana Gray with a honed finish, cut to size with profiled edges. “Indiana limestone fits nicely for this kind of exterior treatment, so you get a great appearance,” said General Contractor Brian Beckers with Brian Beckers Construction in Springfield, MO. “The use of five different veneer stone heights on the exterior walls gives a really nice rhythm.”

Additionally, 7,500 square feet of Valders Buff pavers, with a sandblasted finish, were employed at the colonnade in front of the school and the columbarium walkway/patio. The material was also supplied through Earthworks, and quarried and fabricated by Valders Stone & Marble in Valders, WI.

As expected with any major construction project involving many parties, challenges arose that needed to be addressed. “After phase one of the project had begun, a major design decision was made to remove the church steeple and add a bell tower entrance,” explained Woody. “The construction of the narthex area was then stalled until the drawings for the new bell tower were completed and approved by the city of Springfield, MO, building regulations. Massive footings for the stone bell tower took extra time to design and the existing footings needed to be modified to allow for the extra loading.”

The project was completed in September of 2015 and was very well received by the community. “The building committee and parish are thrilled with their church, and many people have remarked that there would never be another building like that in Springfield, MO,” said Woody. “Overwhelmingly, everyone thinks the building is beautiful.”