2537 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights; dedicated 1928. Gothic.
Exterior: The facing of this church is granite quarried at Weymouth (between Boston and
Plymouth), Massachusetts. This stone is basically light gray and yellow-brown, but is
somewhat darker and bluer towards the base. The colors of the blocks were originally
chosen so that the effect would be an upward lightening in color. This particular granite
contains quartz and plagioclase and orthoclase feldspar, as well as black, iron, and
magnesium-rich minerals. This mineralogical composition indicates that it is a true
geological granite. This particular granite is known for its color variations. This stone
is seam faced, that is, the blocks were cut from planar sheets of stone that were split
apart, rather than cut. This results in blocks with relatively smooth, but somewhat
irregular surfaces. Thus, the stones have a more "natural" look than do stones
with cut surfaces. The stone is set in a random ashlar pattern. Stone used for the base of
the church, the upper portion of the bell tower, around the entranceway and windows, and
other trim is Indiana limestone of two types: "Old Gothic," a coarser-grained
variety, and "selected," a finer-grained variety. Old Gothic contains a variety
of features and textures and is used to give new buildings an aged look. The limestone
used for the base of the church is set in courses, in contrast to the random ashlar
pattern of the granite blocks above. Sinuous, elongate trackways (trace fossils) are
visible in the limestone steps of the entrances. The cornerstone is Indiana limestone,
with an inset piece of very light-colored Jerusalem limestone (stone from the Bi`na
Formation) from the subterranean quarries known as King Solomon's quarries, located in
Jerusalem. The roof is covered with slate quarried in western Vermont. The slate includes
the following commercial color varieties: unfading mottled green and purple, clear purple,
unfading green, mottled gray black, weathering green, and rustics. The unfading varieties
tend to remain the same color over time; the weathering types change color in time due to
natural weathering. There is also sandstone flagstone, either Berea Sandstone or Euclid
bluestone, around portions of the church grounds.
Interior: Pillars, arches, and window frames are Indiana limestone. The baptismal font
is Carrara marble, a famous white marble quarried in the Carrara area of Italy. This
particular variety has light gray veining. The window-like stone mural of a cross in the
tower vestibule (1928) is fashioned from stone from around the world. The upright part of
the cross is composed of (from bottom to top): red Numidian marble, quarried in northern
Africa; Brazilian onyx; and Languedoc marble, a mottled red-and-cream colored marble
quarried in south central France. The arms of the cross are Killarney Red, a red and white
marble from Ireland. To the side of the cross, from top to bottom, are a white marble with
gray streaks from the United States; triangular pieces next to the arms of the cross are
yellow Siena marble from Italy; and next to the arms and above is Skyros marble, a white
marble with brown veining from Greece. Below these are Paonazzeta (or, possibly
Pavonazzeto) marble, a white and gray marble from India; Hejahn marble, a dark gray marble
from Turkey; Famosa marble, a mottled red and gray marble quarried in the Wetzlar area of
western Germany; and Verde Antique from Switzerland. And at the center of the bottom is
Monte Aurata, a dark gray, red, and white marble from Uruguay.
Remarks: The stone buildings of ancient Jerusalem were fashioned from stone from the
Bi`na Formation, the source of the cornerstone of this church. Church records show the
close involvement of Masons (members of the American Masonic Brotherhood) with this
church. Masons have long been interested in King Solomon's Quarry, and are known for
bringing portions of the stone quarried there to the United States. (See, for instance,
Anonymous, 1902).
References: Kilmer, circa 1978; articles in The Chimes (the church bulletin)
in the 1920s.
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