United Methodist Church

Project History

The United Methodist Church was built in 1873, designed by Archimedes Russell. Russell worked in every style, satisfying not his own taste, but his client’s. He is best known for Crouse Memorial College and the Onondaga County Courthouse. His architectural firm still exists today, under the name King & King, and is New York State’s oldest firm. In 2006, the church’s brownstone had deteriorated on the ledges, decorative bands, and window surrounds. Water and the elements had caused exfoliation and delamination of the stone in varying depths. Previous repairs had been performed by another contractor, using a field mix which failed to blend with the existing brownstone. These repairs were also delaminating due to improper bond with the substrate. Heritage Masonry prepared the substrate, and used MIMIC, a hand-applied stone repair mortar. The repair mortar was overbuilt and shaved, to recreate the original texture and profile of the brownstone.