Our Meetinghouse Unitarian Society of Hartford

Our Meeting House (November 01)

50 Bloomfield Avenue. Our spiritual home. Four rolling acres of prime land. Designed by award-winning architect Victor Lundy incorporating the ideals of Rev. Payson Miller. “There are many paths approaching the truth that unites us.” Dedicated in 1964. Written up in Architectural Forum ... made the December 1964 cover of Fortune Magazine. One-of-a-kind-in-the-Universe roof sections cover 12 bays ... a hidden 13th section covers the sanctuary. Creative? A living sculpture! Easy to maintain? Not for a minute! Our Meeting House, like the philosophy behind its creation, never fails to challenge us all.

When you visit, attend, or drive by the Unitarian Meeting House, it's only natural to wonder, like everyone does when they look at a piece of Modern Art ... “what does it mean?”

If you've been attending church services this fall, you could expand your questions to ... “what are they doing to the roof? ... how does it stay up? what is it made of?” ... or, on a windy day ... is it my imagination or is this roof swaying a bit in the breeze?” There are good answers to all those questions, and a group of dedicated, knowledgeable USH volunteers known as the Building & Grounds Committee, can answer most everything you could think to ask about our unusual building, except possibly “how are we going to pay for all that needs to be done to maintain it?”

The center roof (section 13) which covers the sanctuary, is the only section that is rigidly built so it won't sway in the breeze. It is placed lower than the other roof sections so it can not be seen, and is suspended from the 12 radial reinforced-concrete walls which rise above it to serve as supporting cantilevers. Between the two roof levels is a clerestory hung with sheets of gray plastic, so that the ever-changing patterns of light are admitted to the sanctuary around a full 360o. The other

12 roof sections are made of heavy wood decking, suspended with steel cables between the concrete buttress walls. Each bay, and therefore each roof section, is a different shape and size, which fulfills Payson Miller's ideal of “many paths”, and architect Victor Lundy's idea that the building should be “alive” rather than static.

That was the plan.

The roof repair you are witnessing is outlined in the diagram at left, along with the dates of previous repairs. The roof sections are covered with a rubber composite material called EPDM; a single membrane rolled out over the curved wood decking like a bedsheet, stretched to the shape of the roof, nailed to the wood framing every four feet, and sealed at the edges. When the 2001 repair is finished, the whole roof will then be painted a tan color.

If you're going to have a building like ours in your keeping, it's well to have an architect, a construction engineer, a tool-and-die professional, and a team of other dedicated, knowledgeable people who have made it their mission to know, and to communicate to the forces that be, how our building works, the state of every facet of its health, and its maintenance and repair needs. We are amazingly fortunate in that regard!

You also need a generous congregation.

The B & G “deficiency list” is revised and updated every year ... the result of a carefully recorded visit to every nook and cranny of our building and grounds. The 2001 report is 7 pages long ...targeting needs such as waterproofing the concrete walls so they won't create too much dampness, repairing cracks, gaps and seals, boiler and stack repairs, drains, rustproofing of cables, etc.

Repair and maintenance are not all the B & G committee works on, however. The office spaces have been vastly impoved, and the Memorial Garden adds much beauty and meaning to our worship experience. Presently, John Stowe is creating a “Tree of Life” sculpture for our west buttress (Memorial Garden) wall. This will be a wonderful addition for all of us to look forward to.

Below is a map of our roof sections repairs over the years since our Meeting House was built.

Let us know of any comments, errors and corrections - thanks (revised 2/21/05)