HOW ART FOR EVERYDAY INC. CONTRIBUTED TO REJUVENATE ST. MICHAEL’S CATHEDRAL BASILICA
The significant restoration that returned Toronto’s historic St. Michael’s Cathedral to its 19th century glory was facilitated in part by the expert contributions of North America’s leading architectural woodcarving firm, Art For Everyday.
The cathedral was established in 1848 by Toronto’s first bishop, Michael Power, and built over a period of three years by community members of various Christian denominations. The cathedral evolved into the mother church of the Archdiocese of Toronto, and today, it serves as a spiritual center for the city’s two million Catholics. A prime example of Gothic revival-style church architecture, this historic cathedral has been designated by Toronto as an “important heritage building,” and attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and visitors each year.
In 2011, after years of concerns about the aging building’s structural integrity, a comprehensive restoration project began to rebuild, repair and expand the cathedral. This ambitious five-year, $128 million conservation effort addressed every aspect of the building, including the extensive woodwork in the building’s interior. With its extensive experience and expertise in designing and manufacturing high-quality woodcarvings, Art For Everyday was enlisted to help bring the cathedral’s old-world woodcarvings back to life.
Over the course of a year, our team of fifty master carvers, chiselers, sanders, computer programmers and CNC machine operators devoted themselves to repairing or replacing the cathedral’s solid white oak elegant wood carvings. Operating out of our 50,000-sq.-ft. facility in Toronto, we used state-of-the-art woodcarving equipment and traditional hand-finishing skills to perfectly capture the vision of the architectural design for the cathedral. The deep dedication and superior craftsmanship skills of our team allowed us to achieve what has become a signature project for Art For Everyday.
The newly restored cathedral reopened on Sept. 29, 2016, the day of the Feast of St. Michael, and was anointed the St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica. We are proud to have played a pivotal role in one of the most important architectural restoration projects in Toronto’s history. It was also a great privilege for us to help restore this sacred space to its original majesty, so that it can endure as a beacon of faith, hope and love for generations to come.
