Divine Stone

Capitals, Gablets, Pinnacles and Label Stops – The Carving Program Begins is the story of the process that brought the many carved elements of the Southwest Tower to the Cathedral. (This is the first in a series of articles by photojournalist Robert F. Rodriguez about the carvings on the Southwest Tower.) The newly arrived Master Carver Nicholas Fairplay needed a spot in the Stoneyard to begin work on a series of label stop carvings. While his main job was instructing a select group of stone cutters in design, drawing, modeling, carving, technical drawing and theory, he also had to find a space to work.

Banker mason Joseph Kincannon recalls, “There wasn’t a carving shed yet. In fact, Nick had to busy himself moving stone around the yard at first. He did his (first) carving right near the planer. The cutting shed was too crowded.”

Nick, who apprenticed at Westminster Abbey, was recruited by Master Builder James Bambridge. One day when Bambridge was back in Dorset working on Cathedral drawings, he was driving in nearby Somerset. He saw some interesting stone carving activity and pulled off the road to see what was taking place. There he met a young Nick Fairplay. Nick was helping his friend, Master Carver Mel Morris Jones. Jones’ commission involved dolphins for the Naval College in Greenwich. This chance meeting lead to Nick Fairplay directing the carving at the Cathedral beginning in the fall of 1984.

Selecting the Carvers

Nick’s first order of business was assembling the team. Many of the Cathedral hierarchy had their “favorite” candidates to become carvers. “They all wanted different people,” Nick said.  So he devised a simple plan, “I carved a crocket (as a model) and anyone interested in carving, carved one.” Not everyone in the cutting shed was interested in carving but the invitation was sent to all.

Nick assembled all those who carved a crocket. Dean Morton, Master Builder James Bambridge and others gathered to determine the best carvings.  Neither the carvings nor the carvers were identified. Nick had them do a blind judging.  “It was all fair,” he said.

By the spring of 1985 a carving shed was built along the Cathedral’s north wall. Nick moved in along with Ruben Gibson, Cynie Linton, Joseph Kincannon and D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincannon. Nick also had Angel Escobar do some carvings. Angel did not want to do carving full time but “I pulled him (in) a couple of times; he had a very natural ability,” Nick said.

The new carvers had their work cut out for them. St. Paul’s tower was rising and the decorative carved stones soon would need to be set in place.  Stones requiring decorative or ornamental carving included capitals, gablets, crockets, label stops, pinnacles and finials.

The First Label Stops

Nick’s first label stop was a three-faced grotesque representing the Trinity. He said he drew inspiration from seeing various Trinity carvings on European churches. In all, 14 label stop carvings would be needed for the buttress gablets of the south tower. 

A buttress gablet is a decorative triangular-shaped element on the tower corners. It is filled with crockets — small, projecting ornaments, usually set in rows, and decorated with foliage. It ends at the bottom with a label stop, which often shows a carved head.

According to Nick, “The main design problem with the label stops was that (James) Bambridge never thought they would be carved, so he designed the carving blocks small and to not project much.” As a result, “a lot of the label stops were very difficult — very difficult to have a design to cover the moulding – you had to fit on this very small block. (You have to be) Careful not to undercut.”

Another of Nick’s label stop carvings is probably one of the most bizarre and yet humorous carvings on the tower. It shows a grotesque seemingly devouring an infant. Nick recalls that it was supposed to represent the Cathedral eating the congregation.

The Training Process

Training was essential for the new carvers and Nick used a multi-stepped process. “I wanted everyone in the shop to have a workshop style,” Nick said.

“The way I trained people, everybody had to do a sketch and I’d have to approve,” he said. “I would have them make a model in clay and then I would have them carve it. Then the next one they did, I would have them do a sketch, make a model in clay, then smash the model up and then do the carving. Then, for the next one, I would have them do the sketch but not the (clay) model. So they would need to know what information they want from the sketch to do the carving. By the end, they could do a drawing and carve from the drawing.”

Cynie’s Label Stop – Start to Finish

A good example of the process is Cynthia “Cynie” Linton’s label stop carving of a pilgrim bound for Santiago de Campostela.

After graduating from Pratt Institute, Cynie received a grant to study in France and Spain where she drew inspiration from Romanesque church and cloister carvings.

One of her stops was Santiago de Campostela, a Christian pilgrimage site in northwestern Spain. Following her sketches, Cynie made a clay model of a pilgrim on his journey. Working with the clay model helps the carver visualize the depth and dimensions of the stone before carving. Working with clay is an additive process while carving the stone is a subtractive one. 

She then consulted with Nick on any adjustments needed. Her carving showed a bearded pilgrim grasping a walking stick and wearing a hat with a scallop shell on it. The symbol of the scallop shell guided pilgrims along the Camino de Santiago, with the shell representing the way to the Cathedral. The scallop shell became a symbol of pilgrimage and a reminder of the power of faith.

Capitals

Teaching composition was essential, especially for carving the capitals, which rested below the quatrefoils and above the approximately 15-foot marble columns.

Ruben’s Unique Capital

When Ruben Gibson was stuck for an idea for carving a capital, Nick showed him a photo of a Medieval man and woman carved on a European cathedral. Nick only showed Ruben the photo one time so he would not copy it exactly. 

Ruben took Nick’s suggestion and transformed it into a carving of two men of different races grasping each other’s arms. “Once you gave him the idea, he was good with it,” Nick said.

While the capitals and label stops were each uniquely designed creations, much of the carvers’ work was done on gablets, which were uniform carvings with a foliage design. For each pair of label stop carvings, 10 gablets would have to be carved.

After leaving the Cathedral Stoneyard Institute, Nick went on to numerous stone carving projects and established Fairplay Stonecarvers in Oberlin, Ohio. At 67, he has no intention of putting down the mallet and chisel. 

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• Robert F. Rodriguez was an artist/photographer-in-residence at the Cathedral as these artworks were being created. He spent more than 10 years documenting all facets of the construction work. His working life includes photo editor at Gannett Newspapers for 38 years and The Daily Mail for ten.

Voices of the Stones is a closeup look at the wondrous and often humorous carvings on the unfinished tower at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the stone carvers who created them and some “secret” messages they carved in their limestone creations.  Robert F. Rodriguez was artist/photographer-in-residence at the church as these artworks were being created, and responsible for recording them for posterity and will discuss his ten years documenting this work.  Presented in Partnership with the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

The link to the permanent video of “Voices of the Stone” is available HERE

The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of the City of New York

The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of the City of New York was founded in 1785 by the skilled craftsmen of the City. Today, this 238-year old organization continues to serve and improve the quality of life of the people of the City of New York through its educational, philanthropic and cultural programs including its nearly two-century-old Lecture Series.

The Society’s Labor, Literature and Landmarks Series continues a tradition of public lectures that started at the Society in 1837.  Since then, it has been an important source of education and cultural enlightenment for all New Yorkers. The Series brings people of diverse interests from the entire New York area into our Library space. Now in its 13th season, the Artisan Lecture Series pays tribute to the art of craftsmanship by featuring master artisans who lecture about the intricacies of their specialized crafts. The Artisan Lecture Series promotes the work and art of skilled craftsmen to assist in ensuring their unique knowledge is understood and carried forth for future generations.

Robert F. Rodriguez

Forty years ago, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine undertook a major project to build its long overdue towers. Despite that effort, they were never completed – thus the church nickname, St. John the Unfinished. What most people do not know is that the partially finished south tower is host to an extraordinary array of stone sculptures – not readily visible from street level or otherwise open to the public.

Photojournalist Robert F. Rodriguez spent more than 10 years documenting all facets of the construction work involved in building the towers at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. He was also a photo editor at Gannett Newspapers for 38 years and The Daily Mail for ten, as well as photographer for Heaven on the Hudson: Mansions, Monuments, and Marvels of Riverside Park and the upcoming Fabulous Fountains of New York.

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The third generation stonecutter grew up in the village of Priddy in Somerset, England, in the Mendip Hills. At the age of 16 he went to nearby Wells Cathedral, which was dedicated in 1239, and told them he wanted to be a stonecutter. They took him on as an apprentice, their first in 20 years. For the next 13 years he learned from some of the best stone craftsmen around, including the value of patience.

I had no talent and I had no idea what a chisel or a mallet was but I guess I had stone dust in my blood and I was eager to learn.

– Alan Bird

While Alan worked on restoration at Wells Cathedral, he must have walked under the signature scissor arches hundreds of times. Three of these arches were installed around 1338 by master mason William Joy. The cathedral was complete by then, but a combination of subsidence and a newly improved heavier tower lead to cracks and concerns. The scissor arches (also referred to as strainer arches) at Salisbury preceded the ones at Wells by a few years. The arches relieve the central crossing tower’s weight on the crossing piers. They have been doing their job for centuries.

In 1980, Master Builder Jim Bambridge offered Alan an opportunity to work at the Stoneyard Institute of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. He would be taking over for Chris Hannaway who returned to England. The 29 year old had never been to America, had never been on a plane.  He came for a two week visit to see what it was all about.  The differences between New York and home were stark. “You have to understand,” said Alan “I came from a quaint, historic part of England, 30 miles from Stonehenge. There was nothing to do but romp around the field and search for arrowheads.”  He stayed – for the stone, for an opportunity to see that first stone on the southwest tower, a stone on stone new build, not a restoration.

Destined to be a natural leader, Alan saw that first stone set, the cornerstone of the southwest tower. Several thousand more were cut and carved and fixed on the tower. In 1986, Alan and the nine other craftsmen he supervised saw the tower go up 9 feet. He oversaw the stoneyard at the Cathedral for 10 years, finished stones, trained new apprentices and saw the tower rise  a total of 50 feet. 

During Alan’s time at the Cathedral, there was another master mason at the Cathedral. Stephen Boyle was brought in by Jim Bambridge to oversee the fixing of the newly cut stones on the southwest tower. The Yorkshireman trained at Chichester and Salisbury. During the building season, controlled by weather, Stephen would be up on the tower. Who better to speak about Alan than a similarly trained and skilled colleague. Steve tells us this…

“Alan was the first member of the Stoneyard crew that I met when I was interviewed. At the time he was working in the setting-out shop as well as running the stone yard.  From what I remember, the setting out was what had originally attracted Alan to the project at SJD, as there was the chance to learn from Bambridge how to set out loadbearing stonework on a very large scale for a brand-new project. There were few other projects at the time that could offer this kind of opportunity to broaden one’s knowledge. Alan would have to uproot his family and leave the UK in order to participate. Of course, there would’ve been plenty of setting out at Wells but on a much smaller scale and for reproducing historic work rather than for a new structure. Alan spent quite a lot of time in the setting out shop when he first arrived at the cathedral, but stone production demands soon meant that Alan had to dedicate his full time to the stone cutting operations. Jeep (Kincannon) and Cynthia (Linton) subsequently took over the setting out.

“Running the stone yard presented its own set of challenges. I can’t remember a time in any of the three administrations when Alan wasn’t under immense pressure either to maintain the cube rate or provide sufficient stone for the Tower construction season and later for the restoration projects undertaken during the Walsh and Teitelbaum administrations. He was also responsible for training apprentices, keeping the machine shop running at full capacity, organizing the completed stone stacks, estimating the blocks and slabs to determine which stones could be gleaned from them, filing the completed job tickets and being responsible for Quality Assurance and Control. Amazingly and much to his credit, almost all stones that were cut for the tower fit without complications and I don’t remember the Tower construction ever coming to a halt because a piece was not able to be set. In the later years he would also be the first to become involved with trouble shooting problems on outside projects such as the Jewish Museum and Cedar St., usually because installers weren’t up to speed with that type of work. 

“A further challenge especially early in the project was to accomplish all the above with a crew which consisted mainly of apprentices and rather basic machinery and plant. Most of the machinery and equipment at the stone yard was antiquated and had been either donated or acquired cheaply. These machines included three saws, a forklift, a mobile crane and a planing machine which had been found abandoned in a field in Indiana. As Alan was in charge, it fell to him to diagnose and arrange for the frequent repairs necessary to keep these machines running. He was a very practical person which I think can be put down to his rural upbringing and the necessity of having the ability to fix things oneself, and he took these emergencies in his stride and kept the place humming.

“An experienced and first-rate craftsman, Alan was generous with everyone in passing on his knowledge of the trade. He showed me some invaluable tricks of the trade including the method of setting up an XY axis to start off a full-size drawing. This is a variation on the perpendicular bisection of a straight line in elementary geometry but with a couple of extra steps and done with a beam compass and trammel points. 

“Alan had his own particular style and methods for working stone. He continued to use the same blue handled one inch wood working chisel that he had used for the soft stone at Wells on the Indiana limestone, to great effect. Alan was a good teacher and had some rules for apprentices including the use of the right tool for the job, “check outs” before chamfers, and to keep tolerances under 1/16”. Areas in which he excelled included a great ability at “twisting in” the centerlines on amorphous blocks, expertise at handling and splitting up the large blocks and slabs, and first-class banker work and an excellent understanding of the moulds and templates and their application.

“Other things I remember Alan for are his extraordinary leadership qualities, a wicked sense of humor and his infectious enthusiasm for stonework. He was also a poet and an avid sports fan. I remember him having a small tattoo of a swallow on his forearm.

“I was greatly saddened when I heard of his passing. I know he was very proud of what was achieved at the Cathedral.”

– Stephen Boyle

Alan was interviewed at the Cathedral many times over the years. These  exchanges conveyed his passion for stone, his belief in quality workmanship, his pride in what he was doing and pride in the crew.

Alan had a competitive nature as well. Frequent chess matches would occur on breaks with Tim Smith; Jim Bambridge joined in a game or two. Dominoes also became a frequent pastime on work breaks and lunch periods in the cutters’ area. The cutters all tried to best Alan. The matches became a sort of team building and bonding opportunity. One winter Alan bulked up a bit and decided a diet was in order. He would weigh-in each morning in the stoneyard and posted his weight. The cutters would bet on a gain or a loss, another contest with Alan at the center of it.

Alan had a vast range of responsibilities that included receiving and storing the large stones from the quarry, and keeping track of the cut stones, numbered and destined for the southwest tower. he watched over the job tickets given to the sawyers and the cutters progress on the stones they were cutting to the provided templates, within an eighth of an inch tolerance. He taught the apprentice cutters how to work and assisted the journeymen in honing their skills. He was patient and generous with his knowledge.

In 1990 a Cathedral affiliate, Colonna & Co and David Teitelbaum created Cathedral Stoneworks. Alan became the Clerk of the Works for that entity. His son Jason, fourth generation stone mason, began his training at the cathedral at this time. A great deal of outside stonework was undertaken. The plan was to generate revenue to fund the continuing construction of the southwest tower.  Sadly, very little work took place on the cathedral and the entity went bankrupt after a few years.  This effectively ended the work of the stoneyard.

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• The Times of London, Englishmen in New York are Keeping the ancient craft of stonemasonry alive, February 3 1987, Paul Vallely
• Wall Street Journal, Ancient Craft Gets New Lease on Life At Harlem Cathedral, September 15, 1986, Robert Guenther
• NY Press, February 22-26, 1991, The Local News, Mark Rose
• Cathedral Stoneworks profiles
• Special thanks to the colleagues and co-workers of Alan Bird for their contributions to this piece — Stephen Boyle, Tim Smith, Joseph Kincannon, Robert F. Rodriguez, and Treese Robb.

The Cathedral Engineers is a 29 minute 1983 film production by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The film documents the long process of building the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. It also explores the history of cathedral architecture and tours European Gothic Cathedrals that are St. John’s models.

Shots of the Stoneyard Institute appear towards the beginning, Tim Smith, Poni Baptiste, Jose Tapia and others. Towards the end of the film we see Ruben Gibson cutting and Jim Bambridge setting out the templates.

Watch Here

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• https://archive.org/details/thecathedralengineers

As we come to the end of our fourth year of posting stories about the stonework at the cathedral and the people involved with those stones, we are approaching a new phase in the work. Four years ago Mark Saxe was sure that a book about the stoneyard was not only needed but it would be a wonderful story. The blog began as a vehicle to highlight research for a book so people could see that their story was being worked on.

Along the way we were fortunate to meet up with Robert F. Rodriguez, that amazing photo journalist who recorded the activities in the stoneyard for more than a decade. We are also grateful to have connected with Tom Fedorek, senior guide and Wayne Kempton, cathedral and diocesan archivist. Additionally, we are indebted to all the men and women who worked on the stone and shared their stories. There are now 110 small stories, 70,591 words and 693 images on the site.

There are about 20-25 story lines that should be fleshed out, mainly in the Stoneyard Institute period; we will continue that work. The research on the 1892-1911 work under Bishop Potter and Heins & LaFarge architects is complete. The second period of construction, 1920-1945, under Bishop Manning and Ralph Adams Cram, architect, is almost there. So, it is time to begin weaving these snapshots of stories together into a draft manuscript. And so, we begin…

Much work ahead for all involved, please assist us when we cry out for help with information.

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