Failure of a Church Fresco: The Engineering of Art vs. the Art of Engineering

Abstract

St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, commissioned artist Ben Long to erect a fresco in the church sanctuary. The fresco was erected on the gabled south wall of the sanctuary. The work of art commenced in 1988 and it was completed in 1989, with assistance of apprentices and consultation of building professionals. In February 2002, the buon fresco partially collapsed from the wall of the sanctuary, which was constructed c. 1893. Coincidentally, the church was surrounded by ongoing construction activity for a large multi-use development, and the collapse reportedly occurred during removal of concrete pavement close to the structure. The church alleged, as did some investigators, that the collapse ensued because of adverse vibrations associated with the construction activity. This paper presents the evaluations of the author, including observations, analysis of vibration activity, and laboratory testing, which revealed the fresco failure commenced prior to surrounding construction because of inherent defects in the fresco installation. DESCRIPTION The church comprises wood and steel frame construction with solid masonry walls and a full basement. Portions of the structure date to the mid 1800’s, when the church was reportedly reconstructed after a fire. The church entrance faces the street in a northwesterly direction. For reference, the church is taken to face north. The triptych fresco was applied by artist Ben Long to the south wall of the sanctuary in 1988 and 1989 (Figure 1). Prior to that application, an old layer of plaster was removed from the south brick wall and replaced with a layer of plaster