Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace

Client: Roman Catholic Church in the State of Hawaii

Architect: MASON

Completion Year: 2018

Size: 2,200 square feet

Construction Cost: $1.8 Million

Constructors Hawaii Inc. (CHI) teamed with MASON, Trinity Management Group LLC, and the Roman Catholic Church in the State of Hawaii on an ambitious project to fully restore, renew, and preserve the oldest operating Catholic Church in North America. CHI worked on a design-assist basis, completing this complex, multi-phased project as funds became available.

Phases one and two involved renovating the tower and structurally repairing the upper galleries.

In 2018, the church embarked on their third major construction phase – the renovation of the sanctuary. This included the construction of a new concrete altar, building new concrete crypts, upgrading all electrical components, restoring four of the original stained-glass windows, and installing new millwork, plaster, and marble finishes.

The construction area was barricaded with a plywood fence and a plastic ceiling, so that morning and noon mass could be held daily in the portion of the church unaffected by construction. Specialty finishes enabled the team to properly restore and emulate the church’s original 19th-century appearance. These included custom light fixtures and special order plaster that needed to be manufactured specifically for this project and shipped from Germany.

CHI’s construction team included Wood Specialties, a custom millwork company, and Lambrecht Glass Studio Inc., a stained glass restoration expert (both from Omaha, Nebraska), and Patrick J. Ruane Inc., a consultant from San Francisco specializing in plaster restoration of historical buildings.

The historical nature of the project presented many unique challenges, the most memorable one (for our crews at least!) being the construction of the new crypts around the entombed Bishops.

The project was completed on August 10, 2018, as scheduled, in time for the church’s 175th anniversary celebration. CHI was proud to be a part of this milestone event and looks forward to the next phase!