Churches Thankful for Roofs Overhead
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – From Saint Louis Catholic Church to the Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church, church members nationwide are giving thanks for the sturdy polymer roofing products over their heads. Whether replaced due to old age or storm damage, replacement roofs on churches across America are moving toward dependable, long-lasting polymer slate and shake roofing tiles.
“The appeal of polymer roofing’s longevity, aesthetics and durability are greatly appreciated by many church congregations,” says Ray Rosewall, president and CEO of DaVinci Roofscapes. “Within the past few years we’ve been blessed to see a significant increase of our roofing products used for church projects throughout the country. The biggest trend we’ve witnessed is for polymer roofing products to be used on historic churches to replicate the original look of a slate or shake roof.”
Chapel at Dayton VA Medical Center
Originally constructed of slate, the 140+ year old chapel at the Dayton Veterans Administration Medical Center in Ohio now has a DaVinci roof. This historic building’s new roof replicates the original large cross design with a star-studded border in medium tan slate polymer tiles on a background of black slate polymer tiles.
“The availability of different shades of tiles made it possible to accurately duplicate the original design from the chapel’s roof,” says architect Edward Groh with PEDCO, an engineering and architecture firm in Cincinnati, Ohio responsible for designing the roof. “The result is a roof that everyone is exceptionally pleased with and a design that brings the original exterior look back to the chapel.”
Construction on the Dayton VA Medical Center chapel began in 1868 and the Gothic style chapel was completed and dedicated in 1870. Used for both Protestant and Catholic worship services over the years, church services have been well attended by both veterans and area citizens. Now, with a new roof overhead, the chapel can continue serving the community for decades to come.
St. Patrick’s Church
Another historic religious center, St. Patrick’s Church in Terra Haute, Indiana, has been in existence since 1881. After putting up with leaky roofs for years, Bellaforté slate roofing tiles in a blend of greens were recently installed on three of the original four structures.
“This product perfectly replicates the structure’s original roof, but it’s constructed of man-made polymer that will resist all types of weather,” says Brad Lough, co-owner of Lough Brothers Roofing. “Now that the copper gutters are starting to age and gain a greenish patina, we can really see how beautiful this roof will look for years to come.
“I give the DaVinci products and their technical support team an A+ in every way. We had plenty of support for this work along with installation training. This one experience with the Bellaforté product has led me to recommend the DaVinci products for several additional projects.”
Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church
Visitors to the Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church in Johnson City, N.Y. are immediately captivated by the traditional Ukrainian design of the church structure. Topped by three 80-foot tall domes, the massive building looks like it’s made completely of wood shakes on the siding and roof. But, a closer look reveals that the roof is really made of polymer shakes that perfectly replicate real wood shake shingles.
Completed in June of 2011, the reroofing project includes 90 squares of single-widthpolymer shake tiles from DaVinci in a Tuscano color blend of light, medium light, medium and dark autumn colors. The architecture style of the landmark church mimics those structures found in the Ukraine.
“The wooden cedar shake roof installed on the church in 1977 deteriorated so badly that we started looking at alternative material options back in 1995,” says Rev. Teodor B. Czabala, Jr. “We searched for a product that would not need replacing for many years. Our research brought us to the DaVinci shake roofing tiles. We’re thrilled with the 50-year limited warranty on the product and how these polymer tiles have already stood up to the weather conditions in our area.
“The new polymer shakes look almost identical to the older wooden ones, but these will last so much longer. The wood exterior of the church has been cleaned and stained, so now the structure looks perfect. We’re both amazed and pleased that these man-made roofing tiles could have such a positive and beautiful impact on our facility.”
St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine
Thanks to the efforts of volunteer church members, the St. Clement Eucharistic Shrinein Boston has a new roof overhead. Scrambling high atop the famous Roman Catholic Church on Boylston Street, the church members replaced heavy, old slate shingles with lightweight polymer tiles from DaVinci.
“The research I did showed that the Bellaforté tiles from DaVinci have a long lifespan and can withstand a wide variety of severe weather,” says Father Peter Grover, OMV. “We selected the slate gray color of tiles which has received many compliments from our members and the neighborhood residents.
“This product truly looks like the original slate tile that was placed on our church and chapel more than 75 years ago. The Bellaforté product allowed us to preserve both the historical look and feel of our facilities. We also gained the advantage that these polymer tiles resist fire, high winds and severe weather. That gives us all peace-of-mind knowing that our church facility and seminary are protected.”
Churches Coast-to-Coast
In addition to the projects listed above, the following churches have also had new polymer DaVinci roofs installed within the past several years:
- Cynthiana Baptist Church in Cynthiana, Kentucky
- Unitarian Universalists Church of Muncie, Indiana
- Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles, California
- St. Louis Catholic Church in Fairfax, Virginia
DaVinci Roofscapes has manufactured award-winning synthetic slate and shake roofing since 1999. The polymer roofing tiles are virtually maintenance free and far more cost effective than the natural product. DaVinci leads the industry in tile thickness, the tile width variety and the greatest selection of subtle earth-toned colors. Company products have a 50-year warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. DaVinci proudly makes its products in America and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For additional information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit our website.