Iconic Midtown Church Getting A Shiny New Roof

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — An iconic Sacramento building will soon be getting a retro look. The efforts to restore the grandeur of a Midtown Sacramento Chruch is happening just in time for the holidays.

Saint John's Lutheran Chuch has stood on the corner of 17th and L Street for more than a century.

"This building has been in Sacramento for a long time, it's part of the fabric of Midtown," said the church's senior pastor Frank Espegren.

The inside of the church got a multi-million dollar renovation a decade ago, but its old roof needs to be replaced to stop the growing number of leaks that happen when it rains.

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"It would be coming down a wall or in the front or in the front or in the back or behind the scenes and so it was a problem," Espegren said.

The drips were close to damaging the church's historic pipe organ and other areas of the sanctuary. Espegren said any moisture in the organ would have been a disaster.

Now, a new roof is being carefully installed. The church is working closely with the city of Sacramento for the restoration because it is a designated historical building.

Historical photographs and a scrap of the old roof showed the original material used was copper arranged in a diamond pattern, inspiring the restoration.

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The new copper is going to cost more than just a few pretty pennies. Espegren says a metal roof is expensive.

In total, the project will cost more than $750,000, but the church says it's worth it to keep this Midtown centerpiece around for another century.

"This is a building that draws attention and to have a copper roof on the top of it will just be the perfect cap to this building," he said.

He also said that although the copper is nice and shiny now, it won't last long. The metal will start to develop the typical green gloss in about six months.