40 Years Later

(The apprentices in the Cathedral Stoneyard Institute had cut and shaped 4,000 stones between 1979 and 1982. Beginning with simple ashlars, they progressed to more complicated shapes. More would be needed, but the time came to begin fixing stones up on the Southwest Tower, September 29, 1982. The ceremony to begin that construction and the wonderful backstories of that day -40 Years Later-are documented and presented here by photojournalist and Artist-In-Residence Robert F. Rodriguez on the Fortieth Anniversary of that event.)

-RM

Instead of walking on a high wire across Amsterdam Avenue to highlight the Cathedral of St. John the Divine’s tower dedication 40 years ago, Philippe Petit could have ended up handcuffed and in jail. There were no permits for the walk, and the NYPD threatened to shut down the preparations for it because the monstrous stones needed for holding down the wires were blocking Amsterdam Avenue. Fortunately, the police relented and allowed the event to go on.

What I did was an illegal walk — I call it a ‘surprise’ walk — to celebrate the fact that we are building again.

– Philippe Petit

His other “illegal” feats include a walk between the towers of Notre Dame in 1971, Sydney Harbor in 1973 and the World Trade Center in 1974.

Petit devised the plan to deliver an “appropriate symbol to the Bishop for the ceremony.” He searched the Cathedral archives and found a silver presentation trowel made by Gorham Silver Co. that was last used in 1925 by Bishop William T. Manning for the dedication of the nave.

“The idea of building a 20^th century unfinished cathedral went right to my heart,” said Petit and led him to offer his wire walking services to the Cathedral.

The Prelude

Chaos reigned on Amsterdam Avenue the morning of Sept. 29, 1982. Stonecutter Timothy Smith helped move massive limestone blocks from the stoneyard shed onto the street for Petit and his rigging crew to secure ground wires to his cable that ran from Amsterdam House to the base of the Cathedral tower.

Once wires were tightened and frayed nerves finally settled, a sense of anticipation then spread across Amsterdam Avenue. The crowd awaited Philippe’s high wire walk.

With media from all over on hand to witness the spectacle, I had to scramble past the blocks to determine the best shooting locations. First I raced to the press area on the roof of Amsterdam House (across the street from the Cathedral), to check the angle, the lighting and which lens I would need to capture the scene. Realizing that if I stayed there to capture Philippe’s walk, I would not be able to photograph from any other position. I couldn’t be in two places at the same time.

I decided to leave a camera on the nursing home roof, prefocused and secured in place, with a remote shutter cord attached. And with an act of faith, I asked the photographer setting up next to me if she would hit the remote shutter button a few times when Philippe started his walk. From there I moved to the steps of the Cathedral for the best shots of the ceremony itself. When I retrieved the camera later I saw it was advanced a few frames and I had a really great image. (That image is the opening image for this blog post.)

Dean James Parks Morton, wearing a full length liturgical cope of pale gold and white bordered in blue and gold, surveyed the scene while Cathedral clergy, trustees, guests and dignitaries took their seats. Called “an architect, a visionary, and engineer of the arts” by Petit, Dean Morton was the force behind this day of celebration and dedication. Resuming construction of the cathedral using Medieval building techniques as well as hiring and training people from the neighborhood, men and women, was the brainchild of the Dean, who started the Stoneyard program in 1979.

Pamela Morton, the Dean’s wife, recalled the tower dedication as “an enormously high point in his whole time at the Cathedral.”

The stonecutters and crew, who had spent the past three years doing the preliminary work of cutting hundreds of limestone blocks for the tower, had a prominent place on the Cathedral steps. Master Mason Alan Bird proudly held a crimson pillow with the ceremonial trowel that Philippe would later deliver to Bishop Paul Moore on the tower. Next to Bird was Stephen Boyle, hired as Assistant to the Master Builder and construction supervisor only a few weeks earlier.  Behind them sat the Stoneyard crew: James Jamerson, Timothy Smith, Jose Tapia, Arlene “Poni” Baptiste, Eddie Pizzaro, Angel Escobar, Nelson Otero, Robert Stanley, D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincannon, Cynie Linton, Patrick Hall and Johnny Amstrong.

Pamela Morton also had a choice vantage point, from in front of the central portal, to watch Philippe’s walk.

The speeches on the Cathedral steps were mercifully short – everyone came to see Philippe!

Master Builder James Bambridge, who would oversee the tower construction, declared “For the past three years, we have been building our skills, but from today, we shall build this house.” And Bishop Paul Moore doffed his blue hardhat to the crowd when he spoke.

During the ceremony Stephen Boyle got an uneasy feeling. “It suddenly occurred to me that some mortar would be needed to set the Jerusalem stone, and this hadn’t been arranged.”  The Jerusalem stone, the cornerstone of the tower, was a gift from then Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek and contains a plaque inscribed in Hebrew, Arabic and English. “Fortunately, there was just enough time to mix up a bucketful of mortar and get it up top.”

When the speeches were done, a collective silence came over the crowd assembled in front of the Cathedral while everyone waited for Philippe’s walk.

By then, I had raced up the stone steps to the tower to get a clear position to photograph the main event.

The Walk

The slender Petit wore a shiny white outfit and white slippers, purple stockings and a purple sash that supported a holster that secured the presentation trowel. 

From the first step Petit knew this wire walk would be “very hard and uncomfortable” since he had little time to assemble the crossing cable and support wires down below on Amsterdam Avenue. He had to walk on the thinner “pulling” cable and not on the more rigid and thicker “walk” cable. All that people below saw was a graceful and focused walk to the tower.

Halfway through his walk Petit paused and knelt on the wire.

“When he knelt down there was a gasp and all eyes were on Philippe,” recalled Pamela Morton.

“I was tracking Philippe with a telephoto lens throughout the walk and then I saw him pause and get down on one knee on the wire. When he raised his arm with a triumphant smile, I pressed my shutter repeatedly and knew I had captured the moment.”

Of this mid-walk pause Petit said, “In the middle of the wire I got down on one leg to do a ‘salute’ to the Cathedral, and people responded by screaming with applauding.”

Stephen Boyle managed to grab a few photos of the walk with his Instamatic camera while waiting near the Jerusalem stone.

As Petit finally neared the south tower, he said, “I did the last step in a very slow motion” so everyone could really see that he was about to finish the walk. But “for me it was not the end, I walked to the Dean and the Bishop and gave them the precious trowel.” His walk lasted 5 minutes and 17 seconds, although to all those who watched with bated breath, it may have seemed an eternity.

The Cornerstone Dedication

“In the name of Him Who is the cornerstone…we set this stone,” declared Bishop Moore, who placed the trowel above the Jerusalem stone. Master Mason James Bambridge then spread a layer of mortar under the cornerstone, apprentice Jose Tapia carefully lowered the hoist securing the stone into position, and Bambridge checked the level of the stone to complete the installation.

A sacred and special moment followed with Bishop Moore, Dean Morton, Philippe Petit, several stonecutters and other clergy laying hands on the now secure Jerusalem stone for a silent prayer. 

This incredible artistic feat by Petit was also a great act of faith on the parts of Dean Morton and Bishop Moore. A few moments after the cornerstone laying, Petit and Dean Morton quietly moved to one corner of the crowded tower for an embrace of thanks and congratulations. And, perhaps, a sigh of relief.

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• NEXT UP – Robert F. Rodriguez video interview with Philippe Petit about the unique challenges and rewards of the famous walk, he also interviews Steve Boyle and speaks about his own special activities on that most memorable day. (regular subscribers will get an email when that is posted – Soon)