Our challenge: bring the Cathedral Church of St. Peter bell tower back to life. A 2015 lightning strike disabled the carillon bells housed within the historic clay brick tower at the northeast corner of the church, at 140 4th St N in St. Petersburg. Years of exposure since have left cracked and displaced brick, deteriorated mortar joints, water intrusion, and mounting concern over a support beam believed to carry the weight of the carillon structure.
Framing within the tower is a mix of timber below and metal above, evidence that the carillon bell structure was built on top of the church’s original bell tower and later enclosed in brick. The task ahead was to confirm what remained structurally sound and design a path to make the tower safe enough for the bells to ring again.
We began with a Phase I site visit and condition survey, climbing into the tower’s interior and adjacent roof areas to study the brick enclosure and the timber and metal carillon framing firsthand. We reviewed everything we could find, old reports, plans, and field notes, then sketched a practical stabilization concept supported by preliminary gravity and wind load calculations.
In Phase II, we ran the full structural calculations to confirm what the tower truly needed, designed clear brick-repair details and step-by-step protocols to stop cracking and moisture intrusion, and wrapped it all in signed and sealed construction documents so the restoration contractor could proceed safely and with confidence.
To ground the stabilization design in precise as-built conditions, our team combined hands-on field observation with detailed elevation documentation, mapping the tower from the top of the street to the cross more than 124 feet above. This documentation pinpointed exactly where the interior timber carillon bell structure transitions into the tower’s steel-frame section, informing where reinforcement and repair details needed to focus.
The Cathedral Church of St. Peter bell tower is now stabilized for the long run: cracked masonry repaired, joints sealed, and supports reinforced. It’s ready for the carillon to sing again.
Most importantly, church attendants and visitors now have a solid, safe structure they can trust for years to come, backed by construction phase observation and correspondence from Biller Reinhart’s team through pre-construction meetings, site visits, and shop drawing review alongside All Trades Historic Restoration, the specialty contractor entrusted with the work.
Location
140 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL
Building Type
Historic Church & Bell Tower
Year of Lightning Strike
2015
Tower Height
124.67 Ft to Cross (37.8m)
Restoration Contractor
All Trades Historic Restoration
Scope
Phases I–IV Structural Engineering Services
Deliverables
Condition Survey, Stabilization Concept, Signed & Sealed Construction Documents
Our Engineers combine hands-on field investigation with build-ready drawings to bring landmark buildings back to life.
