Cathedral of Immaculate Conception

01
Objectives

The Cathedral of Immaculate Conception is the tallest building in the city of Portland, ME, with the largest of its three steeples topping out at 204 feet high. Situated on the corner of Franklin Street and Cumberland Avenue, the church towers over its surroundings and is easily spotted from Interstate 295. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland contacted Seacoast Scaffold to perform work on one of the smaller steeples, but it still reached an imposing height over 100 feet.

Seacoast’s plan of attack was to build a 10×10 base using ring-pole, with the staging eventually reaching a height of 115 feet. This would allow those performing the work to upper wall areas and roof sections of the smaller of the cathedrals two steeples.

Objectives included

• Creating a safe temporary structure that would include deck levels at desired heights and to provide access to the portions of the building being worked on.
• To follow all OSHA safety guidelines so that anyone working on the scaffold and on the building could do so safely.

02
Approach

The scaffold was built up 115 feet, with deck levels at levels desired by the men working on the cathedral, with stairway access covering 75% of the height and ladder access making up the final quarter of the staging. Legs of the staging would be set on the ground and on necessary roof areas as it scaled the side of the building. Staging would need to be tied into the building using wall-ties clamped to the staging because it would exceed OSHA’s free-standing height restrictions.

• As always, safety comes first. In erecting the scaffold, all of Seacoast’s employees wore proper safety attire, including steel-toe boots, hard hats, safety glasses and harnesses.
• To build a safe and sound structure for employees to work on, as well as those performing the actual work on the cathedral.
• To erect a stair tower for access to the first 75% of the staging and utilizing ladders for the final 25% of it.

03
Results

Once the staging was completed, the Diocese was able to begin their repair work on the cathedral’s steeple. It will remain standing, and completely visible from Interstate 295 and around most of Portland until work is completed and Seacoast is asked to head back to dismantle the staging.