Pictures from the Service Held on October 14th :

Press Announcement: UU Church Ceiling Sagging

         The scaffolding outside of the 224 year old First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Kennebunk is less than half the story - there’s twice as much scaffolding inside.  All of it is supporting the work of lifting and preserving the ceiling of the second floor sanctuary with it’s “tromp l’oeil” (fool the eye) painting.  Thanks to the involvement of Andrew Ladygo, a nationally recognized expert in restoring historic plaster ceilings, First Parish is able to save the historic 1850 painting which makes the flat ceiling look as if it has three dimensional carvings in wood or plaster.  Portions of the ceiling had dropped almost 3 feet in July, 2005 threatening to drop plaster onto the pews and sending the congregation downstairs into the parish hall for service. 

          Ladygo has consulted on the restoration of George Washington’s 1743 home in Mount Vernon, Virginia as well as on the restoration of Portland’s Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Victoria Mansion.  At First Parish, the failed ceiling will be lifted back into place and re-attached to a new structural support system with a special technique developed by Mr. Ladygo working with Woodward and Thomsen historical preservation contractors.  The damaged areas will be re-plastered and re-painted to match the existing “tromp l’oeil” design and the entire sanctuary will be washed to integrate the repairs with the historic structure.  Possibly the largest “trompe l’oeil” in Maine, the design of the First Parish’s ceiling is referred to as Italian fresco and has been restored or re-painted five times since 1850.  A 3 inch strip has up to 20 shades of color to produce the shading that gives the carved appearance.  The congregation hopes to be back in the restored sanctuary by April or May.

          The project was delayed for almost a year and a half as the church and its insurance company brought in various experts to determine the cause of the failure and the proper course of action for the repair.  According to FPUU minister Rev. Carol Strecker, "We are all very happy that the ceiling can be saved but it’s not the end for us.  Although much of the cost is covered by an insurance settlement, we will still need to do a considerable amount of fundraising to cover the full cost of the restoration plus some other needed repairs.  It’s a beautiful historic building and carrying all the expenses that go along with those 224 years is sometimes a struggle for our small congregation."