(This is an encore post from five years ago, December 20, 2020, that seemed appropriate to repeat. Happy Holidays to all from Divine Stone.)
Signed Christmas card to Steve Boyle
In 1989, Dean Morton asked D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincannon to create an architectural drawing of the Tower of St. Paul. This was the tower being constructed and a symbol of the working stoneyard. Parts of individual construction drawings, stitched together, formed the entire new drawing. The result was one complete drawing of the west face of the southwest tower, to scale, with every stone numbered. It also shows the construction zones A (lowest) through K (highest) and FP, from elevation 239’3″ to 393’0″. Dean Morton sent the drawing out as Merry Christmas from the Dean. Signed at the bottom right.
Reduced drawing to fit on the blog, actual size three feet by eight feet
The “card” must have amazed the recipients. It measured three feet wide and eight feet long. The detail and the precise joining of different drawings made for a beautiful presentation. “Jeep” Kincannon was justifiably proud of his work.
Detail of composite drawing assembled by “Jeep Kincannon
A Symbol of Pride and Love
The Dean was ever so proud of the stoneyard and the workers which is probably why he wanted to send this impressive statement to friends and colleagues. It was symbolic in many ways. A story he once told involved a question from one man to another. The question asked was “What do you give a poor man?” The answer:
You give him a dollar for bread, and another one for a flower.
Dean Morton knew the spiritual impact of the Cathedral building program on the community. At a time when the neighborhood was struggling in so many ways, some thought that all funds should be directed to social programs. In a way, the stoneyard was his flower to the community.
Smithsonian Magazine – Photo Tom Sobolik
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Thanks to Stephen Boyle for sharing his Christmas card with us and to Pamela Morton for the Dean’s photo.
(This is Part Two about the early work on the Portal of Paradise. It is written by DivineStone co-author, photojournalist and Cathedral Artist-in-Residence, Robert F. Rodriguez. All of the images in the article are those of the writer except where noted) – RM
Apprentices Tackle Portal Bases on South Side
In the spring of 1989, Master Sculptor Simon Verity hoisted a few planks onto thin steel frames to start the first full carving season for the Portal of Paradise.
The figure of St. John the Divine seems to supervise roughing out the stone jambs with Joseph Kincannon and Amy Brier, top, and Dennis Reed and Gabriele Hiltl-Cohen on the lower platform on Sept. 14, 1988.
The crew of Jessica Aujero, Joseph Kincannon, Dennis Reed and D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincannon had their assignments for the pedestal bases on the south side and started the roughing out.
Master Sculptor Simon Verity examines a block on a pedestal while Angel Escobar, Jessica Aujero, Joseph Kincannon, standing, watch. Dennis Reed, far right, starts roughing out his pedestal base on April 19, 1989.
Jessica Aujero created an eerie and haunting work for her base carving. Beneath the major-rank figure of Ezekiel, she presents his dream in the Valley of Dry Bones, a prophecy in chapter 37 of the Book of Ezekiel.
Jessica Aujero carves an intricate pedestal stone showing Ezekiel’s dream in the Valley of Dry Bones, seen in November, 1988.
On the upper part of the pedestal, we see grimacing skulls, struggling to free their bones from the earth. They lean forward menacingly, as if they intend to leap off the limestone base. Jessica also adds carvings of angels, some with animal faces, wheels with eyes and God’s chariot and fire — all representing total destruction.
Jessica Aujero carved this pedestal symbolizing Ezekiel’s dream in the Valley of Dry Bones, seen on July 15, 2023.
At the very bottom of the carving, below the chaotic scene, is a sleeping Ezekiel. A disembodied hand touches his head, probably indicating that the reclining figure is dreaming, or it could be God’s hand commanding the prophet. Ezekiel finds himself transported by God’s spirit into a valley filled with dry, lifeless bones. God commands Ezekiel to prophesy over these bones, and as he does, they come to life, growing sinew, flesh, and skin. Yet, they lack breath, symbolizing Israel’s spiritual condition at the time. Following God’s instruction, with a gust of wind Ezekiel breathes life into them, and they come to full life, symbolizing God’s promise to revive Israel.
During a cigarette break Dennis Reed studies the pedestal carvings on the south side of the Portal of Paradise on April 17, 1990. From the left can be seen works in progress by Joseph Kincannon, Jessica Aujero, Dennis Reed and D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincannon.
A September 1989 Cathedral Newsletter conveys Dennis Reed’s process of carving the Visitation. “Beneath the feet of Elizabeth, mother of St. John the Baptist, Dennis Reed roughs out the figure of the older Elizabeth comforting the 14-year old Mary, who has come to her with the wonderful and terrifying news that she is somehow pregnant herself.”
“To carve this scene, I had to reach into myself, really think about it,” says Reed. “I see Mary right then as overwhelmed, confused, frightened. She went to Elizabeth for comfort.”
Dennis Reed carves The Visitation – Mary visiting Elizabeth while they are both pregnant – on April 17, 1990. He is carving streams of flowing water to symbolize motherhood.
Below the figures of the embracing women, Mary at Elizabeth’s knees, a pot overflowing with water is symbolic of motherhood. The water is also a symbol of the water John the Baptist would later use to baptize Jesus. (John the Baptist is also the last major-rank figure on the south side of the portal.)
On the column shaft, Dennis displays great artistry and carving skill in his depiction of an embryo bathed in the softly flowing water that gently cascades from the edges of the column. Delicate tiny toes and the outline of legs and a torso are suspended upside down, as if in the womb. They are barely visible, seen as though through a gossamer veil.
This is a view of Dennis Reed’s completed Visitation carving, seen on July 15, 2023.
The Cathedral article adds that from his perilous perch on the scaffold, Dennis enjoys the changing of the seasons and the enthusiasm of the passersby who stop to watch. “We hope we’ll be out here until October or November,” says Reed. “We see people in everything from T-shirts to mink coats.” He pauses a moment. “It breeds patience.”
D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincanon was a multi-talented member of the Cathedral Institute and sometimes had to move between projects.
D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincannon shapes vines below the main carving of John the Baptist in Aug. 1989.
Jeep started carving honeycombs and carob trees on the column shaft beneath the major-rank figure of John the Baptist. He was pulled off this job since he was also needed by Cathedral Stoneworks to work on templates for a project at the Jewish Museum. Several years later Jean-Claude Marchionni carved the upper half of the pedestal – adding oversized ears and a hand to instruct all to listen to the preaching of John, which foreshadows the coming of Christ.
This is a view of the completed carving below the upper-rank figure of John the Baptist, seen on July 15, 2023. The lower portion of vines were carved by D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincannon in 1989 and finished several years later by Jean-Claude Marchionni.
Jean-Claude would also go on to carve the two remaining pedestals on the south side. Beneath the major-rank figure of David, we see the entry of the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem (II Samuel 6). David is seen dancing to the left of the Ark and is semi-nude per the scripture (II Samuel 6:20). The chorus line of women below are dancing and making music to celebrate the Ark’s arrival. On the adjacent base Jean-Claude carved the Brooklyn Bridge collapsing. Snakes, spiders, skeletons — these images echo the words of the prophets of evil, malice, and doom.
Probably the most viewed and most recognizable carving on the Portal of Paradise is Joseph Kincannon’s depiction of New York City, including the Twin Towers, under a nuclear mushroom cloud.
Joseph Kincannon carves New York City under a nuclear mushroom cloud, interpreting the modern day destruction of Jerusalem, seen on Sept. 3, 1989.
The prophet Jeremiah foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and Joseph’s carving below that major-rank figure interprets the modern day destruction of Jerusalem by using the instantly recognizable skyline of New York City. The Gothic arches below represent the rebuilding of the “cathedral,” a symbol of hope after chaos.
This is a closeup of Joseph Kincannon’s pedestal carving seen on Nov. 18, 2025.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the carving has gained more attention, both as a tribute or memorial to 9/11 but also among conspiracy theorists hypothesizing the work foretold the terrorist attacks. Joseph’s work predates the Twin Tower’s destruction by 12 years.
A New York Times article reports that sometime towards the end of 2018 and early 2019, something heavy crashed into Joseph’s Twin Towers carving, shearing off the miniature buildings carved in limestone and leaving a jagged void in the middle of his composition. No other carvings were damaged.
The act was not recorded and the Cathedral had a mystery and a quandary on its hands. Did a conspiracy theorist or some random vandal cause the damage? Church officials also had to decide whether to restore the carving or leave it ragged and broken.
Some, including Simon Verity, opposed any restoration, but the Right Rev. Andrew Dietsche, Bishop of the New York Episcopal Diocese, wanted the Twin Towers carving to be made whole again. Joseph, living in Austin, TX at the time, returned to the Cathedral for the repair job in the fall of 2019.
A photo from The New York Times shows Joseph Kincannon making repairs to the damaged Twin Towers in the fall of 2019. Photo by James Estrin / The New York Times
Ultimately, Joseph cut a small piece of limestone to the shape of the towers, and carved the distinctive vertical lines of the towers’ surface before applying epoxy to set the stone in place.
Joseph’s unexpected return to the scaffolding also triggered some memories, “It’s as if I never left. Very strange,” he said. He had a sense of déjà vu “with the familiar smells, sounds and yes, (remembering) Simon’s comments about the work in general.”
An old, annoying problem also resurfaced during his Twin Towers repair, Joseph recalls. “When I was first working on the portal carving, I would periodically blow the dust away and it would channel behind the little buildings and go right into my ear. I had to laugh at how ridiculous I felt because it kept happening.”
And, when he returned almost 30 years later, “the same thing happened! I blew away the dust, and into my ear, it went. I laughed out loud. Comic time-traveling. It put me right back there,” Joseph added.
Joseph recently confided that he left two autobiographical “secrets” in this carving.
He relates, “I carved the brownstone that many of us lived in at the time,” at 112th St and Manhattan Avenue. Simon Verity bought the house and some of the Stoneyard crew lived there. It is seen on the left side of the carving as a small four-story building with a rounded corner turret, just below the crumpled Empire State Building.
This is a closeup of Joseph Kincannon’s depiction of the destruction of Jerusalem. The building circled to the left is the house where he and other stone carvers lived.
In addition, Joseph says, “I also carved a tiny version of myself carving inside the tower tracery,” based on a photograph that appeared in a 1988 Cathedral calendar. “A vain effort by an underpaid carver.”
This is a closeup of Joseph Kincannon’s pedestal carving seen on Nov. 18, 2025. Joseph created a self-portrait of him carving inside the tower tracery, based on a photo taken of him in 1986.
The description in the calendar notes: “Joseph Kincannon carves the finishing touches on the capital of a main gablet for the south tower –St. Paul’s.” On the column base of the limestone pedestal, we see Gothic arches and the rebuilding of the “cathedral,” representing order in the world. Tucked into an upper corner of a gablet, Joseph carved a self-portrait — a hardworking, dedicated artist and stone worker intent on his work.
Joseph Kincannon puts finishing touches on the capital of a main gablet in situ on Oct. 16, 1986. The image was later used in a 1988 Cathedral calendar.
In the first two seasons, the apprentices’ work on the bases allowed Simon Verity to focus on carving the major figures above. Observing the collective effort from the nearby work shed, stone carver Theresa “Treese” Robb likened the combined work to a “beautiful orchestration – a symphony of different perspectives.”
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Sources:
Cathedral Newsletter Sept 1989
Cathedral Newsletter Dec. 1988
Portal of Paradise: A Guide to the Sculptures
New York Times, Nov. 15, 2019: The Mystery of the Tiny Twin Towers
