Christ Cathedral Construction Update: Feb. 2018

Construction continues at Christ Cathedral, as the iconic structure transforms into a welcoming, versatile worship space for Catholics across the Diocese of Orange. “It’s been a phenomenal project,” said Construction Manager Eric Flynn. “We continue to make outstanding progress in line with our original schedule.” Construction has been underway for 7 months and is scheduled to finish in 2019. The average current work force on site is 90 workers each day. The Diocese of Orange purchased the 78,000-square-foot cathedral in 2011 and the initial design concept was unveiled in late 2015. Most recent work includes: - The foundation was recently installed for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and the Baptistery. Additionally, steel was placed for the cathedral’s two new elevators. - Scaffolding now climbs the cathedral’s inner glass walls including, most recently, the north side. The scaffolding allows workers to paint and clean all of the 10,000 glass windows, trusses, install fire sprinklers, lighting and the Quatrefoil panels. - The choir balcony steel and metal decking were constructed on the cathedral’s north side, with stairs leading up to the balcony from the main floor and down to the undercroft. - The wall framing in the undercroft continues along with drywall installation. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing work continues to progress well. The undercroft includes worship spaces, offices, choir practice room, restrooms, bride and groom areas, equipment and storage space. - Preparations continue for the installation of the new main cathedral doors. The existing entrances were removed in mid-November 2017 and will be replaced with new doors constructed from blackened steel and cladding created by an artist. Each new door will weigh approximately 7,000 pounds and will measure 14’ 5” long by 10’ high. The new doors are currently scheduled to be installed late summer 2018.