Saving A Mission Historic Structure Needs A Little Support

The six columns of the Cataldo Mission stand like sentinels at Idaho’s oldest building.

They’re diligent and elegant. And quite the worse for wear.

This summer, workers will repair the three eastern columns. Those are the ones that are in the shade and never completely dry. Wood rot is spreading like cancer that can’t be cured with wood putty.

“Part of the problem is that the old latex paint is holding water in,” said Bill Scudder, manager of Old Mission State Park. “We’ll put on a new breathable stain or paint.”

The mission, built by Coeur d’Alene Indians in 1853, is a National Historic Landmark.

Park staffers met Tuesday with Craig Holmquist, who specializes in historic restoration for the National Park Service. Holmquist will be back in June to supervise the column repairs.

“The part I’m working on won’t take more than a long week,” he said.

Sandblasting and painting could stretch the project on for a month. The mission will be open to visitors during the work.

The National Park Service is donating $6,000 in labor and lodging for the restoration. The Idaho Heritage Trust awarded $4,000 to buy materials.

Scudder is seeking another grant, hoping to paint the entire pale yellow mission at the same time that its columns and porch are refurbished. It’s been eight years since the last paint job, he said.

Holmquist is based at North Cascades National Park. Most of his work has been on log cabins, ranger stations, fire lookouts. The mission, with its Greek Revival design, is a different kind of challenge. Its columns sit atop square pedestals. Combined, they tower 18 feet, 8 inches. Each column has a square base and a torus, or round molding.

On Tuesday, he looked at a base and torus that had been replaced in 1982. The pieces of wood are like puzzle pieces, secured to each other with dowels.

“It will be difficult to reassemble it precisely as it was constructed,” Holmquist said. Park Service architects will have to approve any changes.

“We’re not trying to make it better,” Holmquist said of the building. “We’re just trying to make it identical as best we can.”

It’s possible the workers will have to replace the entire columns if those show more deterioration once they’re taken down. Consulting architect Fred Walters, who drew up the restoration plan, doesn’t think that will be necessary.

The park staff will be looking for tight-grained white pine to recreate the three column bases.

The building was completely restored in 1974-75, in time for the nation’s bicentennial.

“This is a very, very important building for Idaho,” Walters said, “And for the whole Northwest.”