29 Figures Carved between 1988 and 1999 at the Main Entrance to the Cathedral
Tom Fedorek became a docent at the Cathedral in 1984. He knew Alan Bird and several of the cutters and carvers. He is now the Senior Volunteer Guide. His video presentations on the Portal of Paradise are must see and hear. They cover the history of this 12 year endeavor, the design elements and the people who worked on it. Additionally, the biblical connections are defined. Each of the four episodes are important. If you don’t have time at one sitting for them all, please come back. Enjoy Tom Fedorek’s guide to the Portal of Paradise.
In this last video, there isn’t the usual discussion of the base for the final statue, that of John the Baptist. We asked Tom to tell us about the carver of that base and its symbolism. Here is what he told us.
Base stone of John the Baptist statue
“The base stone was carved by Jean-Claude Marchionni. JC’s work tends to be busier and more roughly textured than Simon’s.
“As for the symbolism, Isaiah writes of the prophet called to announce the coming of the Lord and the deliverance of his people from exile: ‘A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God’. (Isaiah 40:3) The Gospel writers understood John the Baptist, the immediate forerunner of Jesus, to be his prophet. All four Gospels refer to John as ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness.’ “
I believe we are intended to interpret the ears on the base stone as the world waiting expectantly to at long last hear the voice prophesied by Isaiah
– Tom Fedorek
Lastly, of note is the small dog with the camera around its neck. The dog’s name is Cooper and celebrates both Martha Cooper, a photographer who documented the portal carving project for four years, as well as the thousands of camera-toting tourists who flock to the Cathedral each year. This concludes Tom Fedorek’s Guide to the Portal of Paradise.
Dog with camera next to the Statue of Ester
We are indebted to Tom Fedorek for his presentations and his knowledge of the Cathedral, and the overall work of the Department of Education and Visitor Services.
As well, our gratitude to Ruth Whaley, Manager, Community and Educational Initiatives for the work that they do.
Mary Bloom Image from the Stoneyard – Photo Courtesy of Pamela Morton
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Mary Bloom, photographer. Mary was a photographer-in-residence at the Cathedral for twenty years. Her many images documented the events and people who came and went during those times. Her time at the Cathedral coincided with the Dean Morton Era stoneyard and of course she photographed that as well.
Nelson Mandela was one of the distinguished people who came to the Cathedral. While she could have photographed him anywhere in that magnificent building, she led him to the stoneyard. There, she placed him by the carving of his likeness. She said she wanted the stone carver to know that Mandela had seen the carving.
Nelson Mandela with the Emmanuel Fourchet Carving. Image from the Recently Published Book A Cathedral for the 21st Century. Photo – Mary Bloom
Manu Fourchet Carving the Mandela Portrait – Photo Robert F. Rodriguez
Feast of St. Francis, the Annual Blessing of the Animals
For 30 years, on the first Sunday in October, the Cathedral holds the Blessing of the Animals. It was this past Sunday. Mary was one of the c0-founders, an event that Dean Morton brought to life. Most years she organized the procession up the great aisle to the altar in the central crossing.
Blessing of the Animals – Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Additionally, Mary spent many years as the staff photographer for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Along with Robert F. Rodriguez, Martha Cooper and Deborah Doerflien, Mary Bloom – photographer preserved the visual story of the Cathedral and the stoneyard. For this we are grateful.
Mary corresponded with us a month ago saying that she was again starting to scan the images she wanted to share with us. In closing, she said “Sorry for the delay…life gets in the way.”
We hope she is now being greeted by the throngs of animals she adored.
Joseph Kincannon started work at the Cathedral in the gift shop. It was located in the North Transept. His brother D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincannon was a messenger in the administrative area of the Cathedral. He had his eye, however, on the stoneyard. Soon Jeep became the seventh apprentice after Poni Baptiste.
I graduated from High School one day, moved to Manhattan the next, and was working at the Cathedral the following day.
-Joseph Kincannon
Joseph remembers the day the first stones arrived at the infant stoneyard. Heading to lunch down Amsterdam Avenue, crossing the green area on the north side of the Cathedral he saw the activity and knew right away something very important was happening. He waited and watched in the gathering crowd.
The First Stones Arrive from Indiana for the Southwest Tower at the Stoneyard
Apprentice Kincannon
While still at the gift shop, he and some mates played some friendly soccer with Chris Hannaway on that Green… Chris, of course, in shirt and tie and tweed jacket. Some time later, Jim Bambridge invited himself to a frisbee tossing with Joseph and friends. Ultimately, Joseph found his own way into the stoneyard. As most everyone did, he started on the saws. While there, he developed a way to preserve the job ticket instructions despite the deluge of water that came with the saws.
Joseph Working on the Saws – Photo Jose Tapia
Joseph said he was quite happy working on the saws, but his brother encouraged him to join the cutters when an opportunity presented itself. Jeep told him that there was a path to growth. A cutter position opened and Joseph was a natural. Later, when Nicholas Fairplay came on board, he was one of three cutters to be trained as carvers. Along about now, Joseph Kincannon’s lifelong journey as an architectural sculptor began.
Joseph Kincannon Carving – Photo Jose Tapia
Joseph Finishing Carving for String Course – Photo Robert F. Rodriguez
Joseph and Cynie Linton Learning the Setting Out Process – Photo Jose Tapia
The Bull Gang
The bull gang was the crew that moved the stone from the ground up to the tower. Of those days Joseph says – ” Sometimes the job was tricky and dangerous as the stones could be quite large. Along with chain hoists (hand operated), we relied on planks and rollers a fair amount of the time. The term (bull gang) applied to those who positioned the stones as close as possible to where the masons needed them on the building. The masons would take it from there.
“We also had to make sure the masons were supplied with bricks and mortar – masons’ tenders. A busy job. Al Rivera and I were tasked with this. We moved a lot of stone up onto that tower. Young man’s work – moving stones up and down all day with a beautiful view, built up the muscles, etc. Al kept us laughing all day. Steve (Boyle) had his hands full with us, though.”
It’s so quiet up there, it’s like working on a ship. All you see is the sky and your crew. Up there, each worker depends on every other crew member.
-Joseph Kincannon
Head Carver
Joseph became head carver in the stoneyard through his growing skill and leadership. The Cathedral contracted Simon Verity to carve the statues at the Portal of Paradise on the West Front of the Cathedral. He had the carvers from the stoneyard carve the bases. Joseph’s base for the combined statue of the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah is shown below. He carved that base in the late 80’s. After vandals damaged the base, the Cathedral asked him back to repair and restore it in 2019.
Joseph Carving the Base at the Portal of Paradise late 1980’s – Photo Robert F Rodriguez
Joseph Repairing Damaged Base at the Portal of Paradise in 2019 – Photo James Estrin NY Times
All who passed through the stoneyard in those 12 years knew Joseph Kincannon. They were used to his steady hand, his help when they needed it and his unending special humor. He only left when the stoneyard shut down.
Joseph and his wife Holly (Young), a restoration architect, founded Kincannon Studios in Austin, Texas. After 20+ years there, the studio moved to Savannah, Georgia.
Additionally, Joseph currently serves as the Chair of Stone Carving at the American College of Building Arts in nearby Charleston, South Carolina. He is passing his knowledge and skill on to a new generation.
With walkie talkie and blueprints in hand, Master of the Stoneyard John Walsh supervises the lifting of steel beams to the tower. The steel bell frame for the Cathedral’s south tower is erected over two days – Sept. 3 and Sept. 4, 1988. Photo – Robert F. Rodriguez
John Walsh, Master of the Works came to the stoneyard during a rocky period. Master Builder Jim Bambridge had gone back to England. Master Masons Alan Bird and Stephen Boyle had also left. Money was tight and morale was at an all time low.
As a younger man, he worked on the the Verrazzanno Narrows Bridge. He worked for the architect of the Chrysler Building. He was involved with many of the iconic skyscrapers that make up the Manhattan skyline. If you shared a taxi with John from the Cathedral to Midtown you would hear stories of those great buildings. Just before the Cathedral work, John was the project manager for construction of the “new” c1984 granite clad Equitable skyscraper building on 7th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. John was recruited for the Cathedral by Ben Holloway. He was the CEO of Equitable’s Investment Corporation and a substantial player in real estate.
Ben Holloway
Benjamin Duke Holloway was a descendant of the founding family of Duke University. He spent 40 years with the Equitable Life Assurance Society, later AXA Equitable. Due to his vision and leadership, Equitable’s portfolio of real estate investments, both as owner and lender, expanded greatly and contributed to the growth and resurgence of many of the country’s cities. Ben was chosen by Dean Morton to head a fundraising campaign of 80 million dollars to complete the Cathedral and endow it for perpetuity.
” The Church should be a monument to New York”
-Ben Holloway
Throughout his career, Holloway felt in addition to responsibilities for wise financial management, large corporations also had obligations to support constructive improvement in their communities.
John Walsh settles things down and gets things moving.
John Walsh’s main role to begin with was to stabilize the program, get a handle on finances and chart a way forward. Much of the design work was complete but there were several major outstanding items to be addressed. These included the full size setting out of the “E” through “FP” zones. Additionally, there was the fabrication and installation of the steel Bell Frame and the concrete ring beam that was to tie the masonry of the tower together directly below the base of the Bell Frame. His specialty was steel but with immense knowledge of most construction materials and processes.
Master of the Stoneyard John Walsh and Dean James Parks Morton pose near the completed structure. The steel bell frame for the Cathedral’s south tower is erected over two days – Sept. 3 and Sept. 4, 1988. Photo-Robert F. Rodriguez
John T. Walsh, PE, was extremely well connected and highly thought of in the construction industry and he used his contacts accordingly. His impact on the project and personnel was huge and it is he who is largely responsible for the tower reaching the height it did. First impressions of John were that he was a seasoned , tough, no bull kind of boss. He was a strict take-no-prisoners-type leader. Before he came along, the cathedral went to great lengths to bring in people to “counsel” the troubled stone yard personnel – which was a disaster. John Walsh dismissed all of this and cracked the whip. He brought back Alan Bird and Stephen Boyle. Along with “Jeep” Kincannon, they were his lieutenants. Nick Fairplay had remained Head Carver during this period. He had a “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” approach. The torpedoes were invariably budget issues.
Efficiency Leads to More Progress
John was anxious to get as much stone up in place as possible during the construction seasons. He did all he could to facilitate this including authorizing plenty of overtime. This resulted in much of the “B” zone being set in one construction season. The “B” zone was some of the most challenging building work on the tower. The fixing of the stone was being done without a tower crane, and to keep costs down, only a small number of chain hoists had been purchased. Listening to Steve Boyle, John allowed the purchase of multiple manual chain hoists, trollies, an electrical chain hoist and additional monorails. This increased efficiency considerably without excessive expense and helped compensate for not having a crane.
Beyond the Stoneyard – Experience Grows for Apprentices
In order to grow experiences and prestige for the stoneyard personnel he took them to Albany to meet with Governor Mario Cuomo. He took them to the Indiana Quarries and on a grand tour of the National Cathedral in Washington to meet the stone carvers and cutters there.
John Wash touring the Washington National Cathedral during construction. Al Rivera and Joseph Kincannon in Background. -Photo Jose Tapia
Stonecutters and Carvers at the Washington National Cathedral who toured the crew from St. John the Divine around their operation. -Photo Jose Tapia
In addition to being the President of the Stoneyard Institute and Master of the Works, John taught Gothic Architecture at Cooper Union. Across the street, Columbia University had one of the only masonry preservation schools in the country. He set it up so the masons from the Cathedral could go over there and learn lab work. The Columbia students would come to the Cathedral and learn stone work. Through the Columbia connection he set up an exchange program with Didier Repellin and Compagnons. This program would bring over French stone workers to the Cathedral and send stoneyard apprentices to Lyon.
With Barbara Timken, John set up the Architectural Summer Program. The goal was to encourage and promote the use of stone as a building material for modern times.
Group photo of Cathedral crew and memebers of the Cathedral summer program on July 29, 1987. At far left wearing suit is John Walsh, Master of the Works. Photo-Robert F. Rodriguez
Restoration Department Founded
Michael Drummond Davidson is a Scottish trained stone mason. He came to New York and worked on many buildings and monuments. He said that if there was a gothic cathedral being built, that is where he wanted to be. In 1985 he approached John Walsh with the idea of helping the 500 churches in the Diocese that were all brick and/or stone. John approved the idea and thus was founded the Restoration Department at the Cathedral. Michael’s department would offer surveys of these churches in regard to structural repairs and maintenance. They would also write up specifications for the work and submit their own bid. When a church was able to hire them, Michael would use some of the apprentices from the stone yard on the work, thus giving them meaningful restoration experience.
John Walsh: Master of the Works, Known for his Generosity and Kindness
Most of John’s projects came to an end and he moved on after the dedication and occupation of the building. This was not to be the case with the Cathedral. He had joined a special and very different community. He realized that he was at the helm of a very unique project. The project involved a remarkable group of mostly young people. He realized that he was in a position where he could help people and he did, often at his own expense.
John never spoke of his many acts of generosity and kindness. One of them involved lead carver Ruben Gibson. Dean Morton, however, quietly let it be known that when Ruben became too ill to work, John Walsh saw to it -with his own money- that he was well taken care of in the hospital.
Even after everyone had moved on from the stoneyard, they could count on John for advice, guidance and a lead on a job.
A special thanks to those who knew John Walsh and contributed generously to this story – Stephen Boyle, Joseph Kincannon, Michael Davidson, Robert F. Rodriguez, and Jose Tapia
New York Times, July 1, 1984 – Developer: Benjamin Duke Holloway; Equitable’s Player in the Real Estate Sweepstakes
D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincannon checks his level on a sill skeleton bed mould base on April 13, 1981.
Photojournalist Robert F. Rodriguez chronicled the Dean Morton Era stoneyard almost from its beginning. He has been in the process of digitizing thousands of his images. As he began digitizing this latest batch, he was struck with the fact that they were images he took forty years ago. Today, Robert sent them to us and we are grateful.
View of raw limestone blocks stacked and waiting to be cut on April 13, 1981. The lower stone, second from left, bears the destination – St. John – written in crayon.
Robert’s images here capture a day in the life of the stoneyard. Everyone busy, active, producing stones for the Southwest Tower. We see large quarry blocks that have arrived and soon to be marked for sawing.
Sawyer Robert Stanley keeps an eye on the rotary saw on April 13, 1981.
As he saw these images after all this time, he thinks about them and well….Robert says it best…
” April 13, 1981 seemed like a routine day in the stoneyard… all the stonecutters were at their bankers, the clink-clink of chisels reverberating. Alan Bird and Ruben Gibson were playing an unending game of musical limestone blocks. They were squeezing cut stones into tight spaces. A small group of well dressed tourists stopped by to see progress.
Ruben Gibson doesn’t know which way to turn as he is seemingly surrounded by stacks of cut stones on April 13, 1981.
Alan Bird stands atop a flat limestone block just stacked to remove the straps on April 13, 1981.
A well dressed tour group visited the stoneyard that day on April 13, 1981.
…But seen through a 40 year prism, the day becomes a snapshot, a day preserved, a day recorded for posterity.
Cynie Linton uses a wide chisel to clean out roughed out limestone on her stone on April 13, 1981.
I’ve been scanning and digitizing my stoneyard negatives for some time now and, as I was entering the date, it stuck me that these seemingly mundane events at the stoneyard happened exactly forty years ago. How the years have passed and I feel fortunate that I can look back at the day and have a record to show what happened.
Manuel Alvardo works on an edge of his limestone block on April 13, 1981.
My photographs show a busy banker area with Jose Tapia and James Jamerson working so closely together that they were almost back to back… Poni Baptiste meticulously checking her stone against the zinc templates…Nelson Otero, usually working on the planer, picking up a chisel to work on stone.
Jose Tapia and James Jamerson, two of the five original stonecutters, work back to back in the carving shed on April 13, 1981.
Arlene “Poni” Baptiste uses a long chisel to work on her stone on April 13, 1981.
Nelson Otero, who usually shapes stones on the planer, works on a stone block on April 13, 1981 after getting some pointers on cutting stone from Jose Tapia.
The sawing and cutting area was so crammed with a recent delivery of limestone blocks that they could barely find room for the finished stones until they could be stacked outside. Alan Bird, Ruben Gibson and Robert Stanley gingerly hoisted stones and stacked them like huge puzzle pieces.
Alan Bird, Robert Stanley and Ruben Gibson prepare to move a flat limestone block near the entrance to the stoneyard on April 13, 1981.
Truthfully, nothing special happened that day and I have a record to show how my dear colleagues went about their business on this very ‘uneventful’ day.” – Robert F. Rodriguez
We are indebted to Robert F. Rodriguez for sharing the events of Forty Years Ago, Tuesday, April 13, 1981
