HARTFORD, Conn. — Valley Restoration LLC in Litchfield is working to restore the centuries-old steeple at the Liberty Christian Center in Hartford, which is in need of a full facelift.
Paul Bastiaance, a "steeplejack," is the owner of Valley Restoration and travels around the region working on projects that bring new life to old and decrepit churches.
"You’re a jack of all trades to do what you can up high," Basitaance said. "A lot of the wood is bad, we will paint it, we’re going to be doing gilding – from the steeple to the weathervane down to the roof."
Rodney Powell, a Liberty Christian Center Elder said, “the steeple is 270 years old and it needs help.”
"The steeple serves as a beacon of resilience… and it will again,” Powell added.
Valley Restoration often has projects going on in all of the New England states since so many churches are in need of upkeep.
"From Delaware to Maine, we go to Pennsylvania but most of our stuff is in New England," Bastiaance said.
The project at the Liberty Christian Center will take around four months to complete.
Valley Restoration recently did work on the Church of Christ in Norfolk where they brought in a crane to secure the refurbished steeple that now tops the church again.
According to Bastiaance, the historic preservation makes his job that much more gratifying.
"Once you take the scaffolding down and see what we do and it’s an amazing difference and that is probably the best thing," Basitaance said.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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