Dome sweet dome! Restoration of copper dome at First United Methodist Church nears completion

For the past seven months, contractors have spent their days working 100 feet above the streets of downtown Newton; the views have been breathtaking when they can summon the courage to scan the horizon, but their work station atop the copper dome of the First United Methodist Church has been just as extraordinary.

Dylan Davis, project superintendent for Breiholz Construction, said there is just nothing like standing at the top of the dome and looking out across town. If he looks hard enough, he can see almost every water tower in all of the surrounding towns. When he looks out over Newton, he sees no other copper domes.

For Davis, it feels like he is on top of the world. Ceko Lilly, a journeyman for Breiholz Construction, doesn’t let his gaze stray too far from the copper surface he is working on. Admittedly, he develops a bit of tunnel vision when he’s on the dome. Even though he’s connected to a tether, it still feels like a long way down.

Still, Lilly at least gets to admire his work a little more. Even though crews are a few weeks from finishing the job, he can begin to see the green patina forming on the copper. Over time, the dome will look less like a new penny and more like the Statue of Liberty. Their work also means the dome’s life is greatly extended.

Replacing the copper dome has been a collaborative effort. Breiholz Construction was chosen to handle the restoration in large part due to its background repairing historic structures. Baker Group was hired on to conduct the copper work; the company had previously refurbished exterior copper at the Iowa State Capitol.

OPN Architects was involved with the church early on in the project and prepared the initial study to determine what needed to be done to the dome after it sustained hail damage. The architects frequently visit the site to make sure the drawings and specifications had been adhered to during the construction phase.

Kimbra Korte, chair of the trustees committee at First United Methodist Church, said the May 2023 hail storm — which produced baseball- to tennis ball-sized hail — had torn holes into the vinyl siding and dented the copper roof. The damage caused a number of water issues. Church leaders wanted to see it fixed.

Grinnell Mutual, the church’s insurance company, covered a large portion of the repairs, which has cost an estimated $1.2 million.

Fred Chabot, member of the church’s trustees committee, said over the years the dome has received some maintenance and repair work. The siding had been replaced at one point to better waterproof the structure, and some elastomeric paint had been applied to parts of the copper.

Breiholz Construction found that daylight could be seen from inside the dome itself, which is only accessible through an attic. Workers sealed off those gaps and also built a new collapsable ladder for the scuttle hole, which allows church leaders to access the inner dome safely.

For the past 15 years he has been in the business, Davis has worked a lot of new construction and remodeling jobs. But he has never worked on a dome.

“Copper as well,” Davis said. “It’s unique. It’s not typical anymore. Nobody puts the money into that kind of thing anymore as far as that goes. It’s definitely an art to say the least. It’s a lot of hands-on work and it’s got a uniqueness to it. You can’t just lay it down and go. You gotta know what you’re doing.”

There are challenges when restoring or repairing portions of a historic building. Davis said his biggest obstacle was knowing where to start and stop.

“You can’t remove everything otherwise it’s no longer historic,” Davis said. “You gotta keep some of it around and you have to know much of the scab do you have to peal back. You try to keep it original as much as possible. Another challenge was the learning curve for the dome.”

Chabot is pleased that both the trustees and the congregation are committed to preserving the historic church, a “symbol of Newton.” According to local historian Larry Hurto’s chronicles of the church, the building was dedicated in 1915. It was built of Bedford limestone and surmounted with a copper-covered dome.

It had a large dining room, a completely furnished kitchen, a social room, coffee room, boys’ club room, shower bath, toilets — the list goes on. Additions were added later on. The sanctuary had a seating capacity of 450. Combined with the balcony seatings and other rooms, the church had a total capacity of 1,250.

“There’s a sense of commitment by the trustees and congregation to preserve this unique building in the town of Newton,” Chabot said.

Korte said there are a lot of people who have attended First United Methodist Church for a long time. The project showed her that many people are interested in maintaining the building as a place of worship. The congregation has been very interested in the project, giving trustees a chance to share the history.

Hurto noted First United Methodist Church is a contributing property to Newton’s historic downtown district. Looking around at the copper on the dome and the stained glass present throughout the building, Hurto said it is “an architectural treasure.” Its history is significant, and its services date back to the 1840s.

“This is a testament, I think, to all of the saints that have attended church here over generations,” Hurto said. “To be able to be in a position to save and preserve it for future generations is very exciting.”

It makes the sudden passing of Pastor Doug Cue on May 18 all the more tragic. Hurto said it is heartbreaking to think Cue did not see the dome’s completion.

Davis said Cue and the congregation have been so welcoming throughout the entire project. He came into work not feeling stressed, nor did he feel pressured to speed up the process. Davis said Cue especially made him feel warm and invited, and even fixed a few meals for workers.

“It’s been very pleasurable throughout the entire duration of the project,” Davis said. “They’ve done a very good job not only giving us a cool project to work with but they’ve been very inviting the entire time we’ve been here.”