 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Beaver Falls Office History
| Send questions or comments to: general@widmerengineers.com. Copy write 2007 Widmer Engineering Inc. Last updated: 04/19/07 |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Friday, November 4, 1994
The question is simple enough: Where does
a company go when it outgrows its offices?
The leaders of Widmer Engineering Inc., a
Beaver County designer of bridges, highways
and sewerage systems, had never thought
of moving to the vacated St. Mary’s
Episcopal Church a block away … until the
spring of 1992, when executives first walked
through the L-shaped sandstone structure
with its 16-inch-thick walls.
What they saw – falling plaster and a leaking
roof – was hardly an inducement to buy.
What changed their minds and clinched their
future, according to David Widmer, vice
president, was an instant appreciation of the
1875 building’s oak-paneled auditorium
ceiling. It was too good to pass up. And the
price was right.
Widmer Engineering’s ultimate budget
would be about $400,000. "We could not
buy a new structure of comparable size for
that amount," Widmer rationalized.
The 11,000-square-foot church, comprising
a sanctuary and auditorium on the first floor,
basement gymnasium and several smaller
spaces, had more than enough room for the
firm’s 44 employees.
"Of course, we wondered what we were
getting into," he said, "but the ceiling was
immaculate. That sold us. We just washed it
with Murphy’s Oil Soap and it was perfect."
There was also something out of the
ordinary about the property. Only after the
Widmer people had seen most of the
building on that initial visit, did the real
estate agent say she believed there were
three crypts in the basement but,
somewhat squeamish, she did not want to
see them.
Friday, November 4, 1994
The question is simple enough: Where does
a company go when it outgrows its offices?
The leaders of Widmer Engineering Inc., a
Beaver County designer of bridges, highways
and sewerage systems, had never thought
of moving to the vacated St. Mary’s
Episcopal Church a block away … until the
spring of 1992, when executives first walked
through the L-shaped sandstone structure
with its 16-inch-thick walls.
What they saw – falling plaster and a leaking
roof – was hardly an inducement to buy.
What changed their minds and clinched their
future, according to David Widmer, vice
president, was an instant appreciation of the
1875 building’s oak-paneled auditorium
ceiling. It was too good to pass up. And the
price was right.
Widmer Engineering’s ultimate budget
would be about $400,000. "We could not
buy a new structure of comparable size for
that amount," Widmer rationalized.
The 11,000-square-foot church, comprising
a sanctuary and auditorium on the first floor,
basement gymnasium and several smaller
spaces, had more than enough room for the
firm’s 44 employees.
"Of course, we wondered what we were
getting into," he said, "but the ceiling was
immaculate. That sold us. We just washed it
with Murphy’s Oil Soap and it was perfect."
There was also something out of the
ordinary about the property. Only after the
Widmer people had seen most of the
building on that initial visit, did the real
estate agent say she believed there were
three crypts in the basement but,
somewhat squeamish, she did not want to
see them.
The church site had originally been an unmarked and undated Harmonist graveyard. In
Harmonist practice, there were no gravestones. Then, between, 1829 and about 1845,
James and Eliza Patterson, who had settled in the region and had nine children, interred
three infants, Jean, James and Elizabeth, in the graveyard. St. Mary’s was later built over
them and they were immured in the basement.
As part of Widmer Engineering’s purchase agreement with the Episcopal Diocese of
Pittsburgh, original owner of St. Mary’s, the diocese reinterred the three small coffins in a
cemetery. Buildings can’t be sold with occupied crypts in Pennsylvania. An empty brick-
lined crypt remains as testimony to the building’s history.
The diocese also sold the church’s arched, leaded-glass windows. In their place, Widmer
Inc. put thermopanes from Three Rivers Aluminum Co., Cranberry.
"We decided to do our own conversion," Widmer said. "I took nine months off regular
work to oversee the job. We tore out the steam-heating system and put in forced air
because we wanted air-conditioning."
Widmer Engineering did the rewiring and carpentry, adding and oak tongue-and-groove
dado in the 36-foot-tall boardroom – the former choir platform near the front of the
sanctuary. Oak chair rails were given a chestnut-colored stain like that of the auditorium
ceiling.
Also added was a second floor that fills the upper sanctuary. This space is enriched by
original Gothic-style trusses.
Widmer decided the church rectory, a yellow-brick Victorian house attached to the
church, was out of style with the main structure, so it was razed. The rectory’s corridor
opening to the church was covered on the outside with matching sandstone.
Since the church had no parking lot, Widmer kept an off-street lot behind the church it
was already using. It designed new visitor parking lot in front of the new lawn where the
rectory had been. This area then became the new main entrance to the offices. With a
gabled porch, it gently echoes the old sanctuary entrance’s carved limestone archway.
Subcontractors performed such jobs as replastering the sanctuary’s cathedral ceiling to
eliminate cracks. The roof was reclaimed with recycled slate, a decision of Joseph Widmer,
firm president and David’s father, and the blackened sandstone exterior was cleaned.
Employees moved in during the summer of 1993.
A casualty of conversion was the working pipe organ which took up useful space and was
scrapped. The church’s pews, however, were claimed by a chapel that had them cut
down to size.
Widmer Engineering now has its boardroom, five offices and a file room on the former
church’s ground floor. The sanctuary and auditorium contain a series of work spaces
enclosed in five-foot-tall permanent partitions. Nylon carpeting was laid throughout the
structure except for the original gym with its vinyl-covered floor, which contains the firm’s
highway design offices, segmented by recycled partitions moved from the former
headquarters.
Would David Widmer suggest such a conversion project for other businesses? "You have
to have a love affair with a building to really become so involved. There were times, six
months into the conversion, when I could have chucked the whole thing. It wasn’t any
one problem but a series of things that took time to solve. One little negative after
another."
But today he’s tickled he stayed with the job, a sentiment felt equally by other
employees.
Harmonist practice, there were no gravestones. Then, between, 1829 and about 1845,
James and Eliza Patterson, who had settled in the region and had nine children, interred
three infants, Jean, James and Elizabeth, in the graveyard. St. Mary’s was later built over
them and they were immured in the basement.
As part of Widmer Engineering’s purchase agreement with the Episcopal Diocese of
Pittsburgh, original owner of St. Mary’s, the diocese reinterred the three small coffins in a
cemetery. Buildings can’t be sold with occupied crypts in Pennsylvania. An empty brick-
lined crypt remains as testimony to the building’s history.
The diocese also sold the church’s arched, leaded-glass windows. In their place, Widmer
Inc. put thermopanes from Three Rivers Aluminum Co., Cranberry.
"We decided to do our own conversion," Widmer said. "I took nine months off regular
work to oversee the job. We tore out the steam-heating system and put in forced air
because we wanted air-conditioning."
Widmer Engineering did the rewiring and carpentry, adding and oak tongue-and-groove
dado in the 36-foot-tall boardroom – the former choir platform near the front of the
sanctuary. Oak chair rails were given a chestnut-colored stain like that of the auditorium
ceiling.
Also added was a second floor that fills the upper sanctuary. This space is enriched by
original Gothic-style trusses.
Widmer decided the church rectory, a yellow-brick Victorian house attached to the
church, was out of style with the main structure, so it was razed. The rectory’s corridor
opening to the church was covered on the outside with matching sandstone.
Since the church had no parking lot, Widmer kept an off-street lot behind the church it
was already using. It designed new visitor parking lot in front of the new lawn where the
rectory had been. This area then became the new main entrance to the offices. With a
gabled porch, it gently echoes the old sanctuary entrance’s carved limestone archway.
Subcontractors performed such jobs as replastering the sanctuary’s cathedral ceiling to
eliminate cracks. The roof was reclaimed with recycled slate, a decision of Joseph Widmer,
firm president and David’s father, and the blackened sandstone exterior was cleaned.
Employees moved in during the summer of 1993.
A casualty of conversion was the working pipe organ which took up useful space and was
scrapped. The church’s pews, however, were claimed by a chapel that had them cut
down to size.
Widmer Engineering now has its boardroom, five offices and a file room on the former
church’s ground floor. The sanctuary and auditorium contain a series of work spaces
enclosed in five-foot-tall permanent partitions. Nylon carpeting was laid throughout the
structure except for the original gym with its vinyl-covered floor, which contains the firm’s
highway design offices, segmented by recycled partitions moved from the former
headquarters.
Would David Widmer suggest such a conversion project for other businesses? "You have
to have a love affair with a building to really become so involved. There were times, six
months into the conversion, when I could have chucked the whole thing. It wasn’t any
one problem but a series of things that took time to solve. One little negative after
another."
But today he’s tickled he stayed with the job, a sentiment felt equally by other
employees.