St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

Columbia, SC

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was established in 1889 with the cornerstone laid for its current sanctuary in October of 1913. The Church teamed with Mashburn Construction and the architect to restore the historic church back to its original beauty. Over the years, many of the elements that established the character of the space were covered or concealed, such as the heart of pine floors; the stained glass window and door trim; and the plaster chancel walls. The project team worked with key restoration subcontractors to revive the space and enhance the historic features of the church.

The wood of the stained glass windows and doors was restored to the original oak finish. Restoring the wood created such a noticeable difference that the church elected to have all painted baseboards replaced with stained hardwood as well. St. Paul’s signature red doors were refinished with fully refurbished hardware. The old wall covering in the Chancel was replaced with Venetian Plaster. Outdated carpeting was removed to expose the heart of pine flooring which was then refinished. The original hardwood pews were fully disassembled, restored and refinished, and pew cushions were added. The restored areas incorporated new building code improvements including brass and hardwood hand rails in both balcony and chancel. Other renovations in the 7,000 square foot project included updating all ornamental plaster trimwork and beams, adding carpet in the aisles, reupholstering the kneelers and updating the air distribution.

This project was honored with the Historic Preservation Award for Excellence in Preservation/Restoration by the Historic Columbia Foundation.

  • Location

    Columbia, SC
  • Completion Date

    June 2015
  • Size

    7,000 SF