Prior to 1929, Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church was on the property where Lookout Mountain School now stands. Sadly, the original church structure was lost to a devastating fire, and the current church building was built across the street between 1928 and 1929. Its beautiful stones and slate roof were chosen in hopes of preventing future fires, and the structure has been sound for almost 100 years since its inception.
Over the years, the church continued to be blessed by tremendous growth. Therefore, a fellowship hall was built from 1954-1955. At that same time, the sanctuary was expanded, and the remarkable rose window was added. In 1966, the tower and steeple were added to the church. The church continued to experience growth, and the chapel, narthex, and educational wing were added in 1968. The Jane Harris Youth Building was built on an adjacent property in 2006 and has become a favorite home to a plethora of mountain youth.
After many years of spending money on ministering, it is time for the church to turn its attention to the building so that it may continue to release its resources on the mountain, in the city, and around the world. With the intent of wanting to do more, not less, the RENEW campaign began in 2021 with the intention of restoring the physical space of LMPC as it seeks to revive its people and release its resources. Consequently, you may have noticed workers busy on scaffolding all around the church building over the past nine months.
RENEW coordinator John Stroud shared, “Looking at the scaffolding every day is a constant reminder of the work being done and of the promise of eventual completion. This scaffolding will be up through 2024, moving around our building as our windows, stone, and roofs are restored and waterproofed.” When asked who is completing this vast work, John Stroud said, “We are fortunate to have The Tradesmen Group (TTG), an organization dedicated to restoring and preserving historic buildings, performing the work on our physical space.” The Tradesmen Group has also restored courthouses, universities, and historical sites all over the country, including the Chattanooga Readiness Center National Guard Armory. Clearly LMPC rests in strong hands.
With the task of such a tremendous restoration set before them, John Stroud, Brian Salter, and others on the building committee did not take the selection process lightly. The selection process to choose a group to do the work was exhaustive as they explored many leads, especially since the scope of this restoration project was well beyond the experience of local firms. Thankfully, TTG is an organization that understands just what the building needs. In addition to The Tradesmen Group, Stuart Bickley was chosen as the RENEW construction manager. With 25 years of construction experience, a personal history of attendance at LMPC and a love for the church, Stuart is absolutely the best person for this special job. He is passionate, skilled, and dedicated to making sure that the work is performed well, with precision, and on a positive timeline.
When it was apparent that the church was in need of some long overdue serious repairs, it was not fully understood just how significant those repairs would be. Stuart Bickley explained, “The scope changed when we broadened out to a national contractor and received a full diagnosis of the work. That’s where TTG came in. They have a plan for our building and are in constant communication with us as they assess and address our needs. The three primary components of the project are masonry restoration, slate roofing replacement, and window restoration. The specific work includes cleaning all of the stone and removing and replacing mortar, removing all slate on the roofs and installing 150 tons of new slate, and restoring stained glass while also replacing rotting wood window frames and rusted steel lintels. The Tradesmen Group is not simply making repairs, but restoring our building so that it will be better protected from water and rust in the future.”
To finance such an extensive restoration project, the RENEW campaign was launched. All members of the congregation were fully informed of the need of the restoration project. There were multiple meetings and opportunities for members to ask questions, give impactful input, and give to the RENEW campaign. Merrile and John Stroud led the RENEW campaign and faithfully have served the congregation in this capacity. Thankfully, a strong building committee consisting of both men and women with varied interests and experience represented the church in making important decisions.
Remarkably, all of the funds raised were given by church members and friends of LMPC through the internal RENEW campaign. In addition to funding the current extensive historic restoration, a depreciation fund is being set aside to prevent being in this same sort of position in the future. Therefore, this is a once in a generation kind of restoration, setting up the church to be more sustainable in the future. The Tradesmen Group will conclude the project with a maintenance plan to aid in long-term care.
One of the concerns with a restoration of this size is whether or not the historical nature of the church will be kept intact. Some minor changes will be made for the betterment and longevity of the building, but the historical nature is a priority in all decisions. The building committee is helping with these aesthetic details, as well. One example is the color of the new mortar for the stone. It was chosen intentionally with the historical nature of the building in mind. Additionally, the new slate for the roofs is being hand-mixed so that it is arranged in an orderly randomized pattern in keeping with the original style of varying sizes and colors of tiles.
John Stroud shared, “The current members of LMPC stand on the shoulders of the previous generations who sacrificed to give us this structure and are so appreciative of all of their sacrifices. Therefore, today’s members are sacrificing now to make it possible for future generations to be served at our church, in the community, and in greater Chattanooga and the world through missions with this church building as a conduit. In fact, it is impossible to separate this structure from the Lookout Mountain community. For this period of time, we are stewards of this building. We want it to be a blessing to the community, both in the way it looks and the way it serves the community. More young families are choosing Lookout Mountain as the place to raise their families, and we have taken on this project to provide for these future generations. We have a very giving congregation, and we have suffered the ill effects of not taking care of our own structure. We have spent our money ministering, giving away over $100 million, but not restoring our own space. Now, we are trying to restore our building so we can give away another $100 million before our 150th birthday in 2042! We are investing in our building now to release more resources in the future.
“As we move towards 2042 and our 150th birthday party, we will have much to celebrate, including a restored building to use in service to our community for many more years to come!” Brian Salter added.
Our community can enjoy watching the progress of the LMPC restoration over the next year and a half as the work is carefully completed. We can all rejoice together when this beautiful building is completely restored in November 2024! Those who are curious can visit LMPC.org/renew for more information and links to the update videos.
by Ann Henley Perry
Over the years, the church continued to be blessed by tremendous growth. Therefore, a fellowship hall was built from 1954-1955. At that same time, the sanctuary was expanded, and the remarkable rose window was added. In 1966, the tower and steeple were added to the church. The church continued to experience growth, and the chapel, narthex, and educational wing were added in 1968. The Jane Harris Youth Building was built on an adjacent property in 2006 and has become a favorite home to a plethora of mountain youth.
After many years of spending money on ministering, it is time for the church to turn its attention to the building so that it may continue to release its resources on the mountain, in the city, and around the world. With the intent of wanting to do more, not less, the RENEW campaign began in 2021 with the intention of restoring the physical space of LMPC as it seeks to revive its people and release its resources. Consequently, you may have noticed workers busy on scaffolding all around the church building over the past nine months.
RENEW coordinator John Stroud shared, “Looking at the scaffolding every day is a constant reminder of the work being done and of the promise of eventual completion. This scaffolding will be up through 2024, moving around our building as our windows, stone, and roofs are restored and waterproofed.” When asked who is completing this vast work, John Stroud said, “We are fortunate to have The Tradesmen Group (TTG), an organization dedicated to restoring and preserving historic buildings, performing the work on our physical space.” The Tradesmen Group has also restored courthouses, universities, and historical sites all over the country, including the Chattanooga Readiness Center National Guard Armory. Clearly LMPC rests in strong hands.
With the task of such a tremendous restoration set before them, John Stroud, Brian Salter, and others on the building committee did not take the selection process lightly. The selection process to choose a group to do the work was exhaustive as they explored many leads, especially since the scope of this restoration project was well beyond the experience of local firms. Thankfully, TTG is an organization that understands just what the building needs. In addition to The Tradesmen Group, Stuart Bickley was chosen as the RENEW construction manager. With 25 years of construction experience, a personal history of attendance at LMPC and a love for the church, Stuart is absolutely the best person for this special job. He is passionate, skilled, and dedicated to making sure that the work is performed well, with precision, and on a positive timeline.
When it was apparent that the church was in need of some long overdue serious repairs, it was not fully understood just how significant those repairs would be. Stuart Bickley explained, “The scope changed when we broadened out to a national contractor and received a full diagnosis of the work. That’s where TTG came in. They have a plan for our building and are in constant communication with us as they assess and address our needs. The three primary components of the project are masonry restoration, slate roofing replacement, and window restoration. The specific work includes cleaning all of the stone and removing and replacing mortar, removing all slate on the roofs and installing 150 tons of new slate, and restoring stained glass while also replacing rotting wood window frames and rusted steel lintels. The Tradesmen Group is not simply making repairs, but restoring our building so that it will be better protected from water and rust in the future.”
To finance such an extensive restoration project, the RENEW campaign was launched. All members of the congregation were fully informed of the need of the restoration project. There were multiple meetings and opportunities for members to ask questions, give impactful input, and give to the RENEW campaign. Merrile and John Stroud led the RENEW campaign and faithfully have served the congregation in this capacity. Thankfully, a strong building committee consisting of both men and women with varied interests and experience represented the church in making important decisions.
Remarkably, all of the funds raised were given by church members and friends of LMPC through the internal RENEW campaign. In addition to funding the current extensive historic restoration, a depreciation fund is being set aside to prevent being in this same sort of position in the future. Therefore, this is a once in a generation kind of restoration, setting up the church to be more sustainable in the future. The Tradesmen Group will conclude the project with a maintenance plan to aid in long-term care.
One of the concerns with a restoration of this size is whether or not the historical nature of the church will be kept intact. Some minor changes will be made for the betterment and longevity of the building, but the historical nature is a priority in all decisions. The building committee is helping with these aesthetic details, as well. One example is the color of the new mortar for the stone. It was chosen intentionally with the historical nature of the building in mind. Additionally, the new slate for the roofs is being hand-mixed so that it is arranged in an orderly randomized pattern in keeping with the original style of varying sizes and colors of tiles.
John Stroud shared, “The current members of LMPC stand on the shoulders of the previous generations who sacrificed to give us this structure and are so appreciative of all of their sacrifices. Therefore, today’s members are sacrificing now to make it possible for future generations to be served at our church, in the community, and in greater Chattanooga and the world through missions with this church building as a conduit. In fact, it is impossible to separate this structure from the Lookout Mountain community. For this period of time, we are stewards of this building. We want it to be a blessing to the community, both in the way it looks and the way it serves the community. More young families are choosing Lookout Mountain as the place to raise their families, and we have taken on this project to provide for these future generations. We have a very giving congregation, and we have suffered the ill effects of not taking care of our own structure. We have spent our money ministering, giving away over $100 million, but not restoring our own space. Now, we are trying to restore our building so we can give away another $100 million before our 150th birthday in 2042! We are investing in our building now to release more resources in the future.
“As we move towards 2042 and our 150th birthday party, we will have much to celebrate, including a restored building to use in service to our community for many more years to come!” Brian Salter added.
Our community can enjoy watching the progress of the LMPC restoration over the next year and a half as the work is carefully completed. We can all rejoice together when this beautiful building is completely restored in November 2024! Those who are curious can visit LMPC.org/renew for more information and links to the update videos.
by Ann Henley Perry
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