The historic restoration of Cane Hill Presbyterian Church is the fourth preservation project Kinco Constructors has done for Cane Hill and one that showcases craftsmanship at its best with the finest details. The United Presbyterian Church of Cane Hill was built in 1891 and is a prominent landmark in town. The church is an important part of Cane Hill’s history and is a reflection of the Cumberland Presbyterian roots.
The church, while still being used as a place of worship and in good shape, had undergone several renovations over the years that took away from its original design, such as the addition of asphalt shingles. In addition, the church was in need some structural repairs primarily with rotted floor joists.
Kinco worked with WER Architects to bring this historic church back to its original glory. The project consisted of exterior stone tuckpointing. In order to ensure match of the original color and make-up of the motor we sent samples to specialty labs for the exact match. Meticulous excavation was done under floor joist in order to receive new duct work under the floor. A special vacuum truck was brought in to suck out all the dirt to provide space for the new duct work. n addition, Kinco crews replaced and added support for numerous floor joists that had rotted over time creating sagging in the floor.
Kinco craftsmen removed the original wood flooring, removed all nails by hand and reinstalled, sanded and refinished the floor to bring it back to its original state. The steeple is a new custom built copper steeple built to match the original steeple from photographs and we removed the asphalt shingles and replaced them with new wood shingles as was the original design.
One of the more unique aspects of the project is the churches light fixtures. While the original churches lights were gas lights, the new fixtures we installed were custom made brass chandeliers made to look exactly like the originals and include electric bulbs made to mimic a gas light.
Kinco is proud to have been a part of such a significant project paying tribute not only the history of Cane Hill but the founding of the Presbyterian Church of Arkansas. This project and the challenges it presented allowed our craftsmen the ability to show off their love for craftsmanship and commitment to doing quality work. We are proud to be a partner with Historic Cane Hill, WER Architects and their commitment to persevering our Arkansas heritage.
