Beyond 2014

Emmanuel Baptist Church of Albany, as a congregation, has worked to make our facility a contemporary and enduring presence within the Capital District.
Future projects derive from identifying past structural concerns. Corporate Management is seeking grant support to help our congregation tackle the many significant repairs to our historic building, including how to address:
• tuck pointing in both the educational building and sanctuary
• stabilization of the windows
• stabilization of the tower and pigeon-proofing it
• repair and stabilization of the roof

Please forward questions about the progress of our church facility to Corporate Management or lahut@nova.edu

Roof Concerns & before 2006

Exterior concerns have been an on-going struggle for the Corporate Management Commission. This portion of the blog represents historic information, but is an on-going concern for CM.

Emmanuel’s 130+ year old Sanctuary roof, made of Vermont slate tiles, has had episodic maintenance. In the past months, our architect and roofing contractors have provided estimates because of water damage discovered inside the church, primarily in the area where Emmanuel’s tower meets the slate roof.

EAST-Balcony

Today, you can still see the evidence of internal leakage and water damage which has occurred inside Emmanuel. Obviously, more work will be required.



You can see easily this damage at the cornices east of the organ loft, when standing in front of the sanctuary (north), looking back at the organ loft (south).

EAST-Organ Loft

This gray decorative trim is made of plaster, and the east side of the organ loft has white plaster erupting and collapsing, with furry white pieces falling onto the balcony carpeting. This evidence has significantly progressed in the past year.

Water is leaking from the roof into the sanctuary. The problem is hidden by its location, in the dark behind the church organ.

Exteriors

Tower of Emmanuel Church has had varied maintenance for the stone masonry in the past 15 years. This is a north face view of the tower:

Roof

Emmanuel’s tower has shown damage mostly around the roof, as it erupts from the main sanctuary. At the western face of the tower, a deep valley is created where the descending east sanctuary roof creates a "V" (above, upper right). Old tarring for roof leakage can be seen below. This was a temporizing, not a permanent kind of slate repair. Both concerns contribute as sources for the current leakage, causing damage inside the church next to the organ loft.

PLANS

Plans have been developed by Emmanuel's architect and consultants for exterior masonry and structural repairs. Having formalized planing is a major step of progress.