Reprint from the Progress Times - February 22, 2008
©Progress Times 2008 - All Rights Reserved

 

Renovations on La Lomita Chapel in full swing

 

By Kathy Olivarez

Anyone who has driven by La Lomita Chapel has seen that renovations on Mission’s icon are in full swing. A large tent covers the chapel, which has had its roof removed. There are piles of shingles in the yard nearby. The walls are being held up by numerous wooden supports erected on both sides. Workers have projects going on in the yard as well.

The Progress Times spoke with Nancy Hyslin, on-site representative for the 5125 Company doing the renovation. She helps coordinate the plans made by the architect with the people actually doing the construction.

Hyslin gave a guided tour of the renovation, pointing out several surprises in the findings. Previously, Architect Steve Tillotson indicated that the chapel was probably older than previously thought. It is his opinion that the building predated the Civil War because of the type of construction it had.

She pointed out places where the white coating had broken away from the walls. The interior of the walls are formed from soft sandstone such as the stone found along the banks of the Rio Grande River further upstream. All sizes of stones were used. Larger stones were piled on one another and smaller stones were used to fill in the gaps. Mortar of lime and sand was used to fill in the cracks. Then the wall was covered with a stucco plaster and whitewashed with a lime-based paint.

Hyslin indicated that a slate-lime based mortar then was stronger that the original mortar would be used for repairs during renovation. Afterwards the walls would be covered with stucco and whitewashed with a lime-based paint similar to the original paint for authenticity.

The walls of Old Guerrero, a Spanish colonial city near Falcon Dam that was built in the later 1700s, were of similar construction.

Wherever possible, broken and deteriorating stone will be repaired or replaced. The architect located a source for sandstone that has stone almost identical to the stone originally  used. Where the stone has deteriorated too badly to be repaired, new stones can be inserted.

Hyslin could not confirm the chapel’s age but said there were several indications it was older than previously thought. The Porcion was first designated and assigned to someone in 1767, which could account for the construction being similar to that of other Spanish colonial projects. There were no other reports of buildings in the 1840’s when the Bradburn family bought the land.

When a Frenchman named Guyard bought the property in 1850, a chapel was constructed. Based on construction methods, it is possible that the existing structure was renovated, but there is no way to confirm it. It is known that by 1851, the circuit riding Oblate Fathers were conducting services in a chapel on the ranch.

One of the discoveries that supports this line of thought was the six tree stalk poles found embedded in the middle of the wall that were used for support. Hyslin said they were probably young ebony trees or some other type of native wood. The place where the trees started branching out was used to hold the roof in place.

Because they were in the middle of the building, Hyslin thinks the original building might have been smaller and perhaps was a jacal, or hut, where someone once lived. The mesquites would have been the supports for the rock walls.

Because these posts were in the interior of the wall, Hyslin believes the building might have been expanded at a later date to make it large enough to serve as a chapel.

"If we could find a person with background in dendrochronology in the Rio Grande Valley, we might be able to tell exactly how old the chapel is," explained Hyslin.

"By studying the rings of trees a dendrochronologist could tell when the mesquites were cut to provide a more exact date of how old the chapel is. But I don’t think anyone in the Valley has that type of information," Hyslin continued.

The west wall of the chapel has an outward bulge, as if it were ready to collapse. Hyslin explained that sandstone is extremely soft. As rising water and even rainwater has years to affect the building, the limestone mortar and whitewash can be washed away and the elements will erode the sandstone. Add insect damage to supporting pillars and it’s no surprise, the wall has undergone deterioration.

Another discovery was that the windows and door frames were once painted green. Hyslin said this color would be used again for authenticity when the chapel is repainted.

Hyslin pointed out that the roof was slightly off-center. Spacing in the rafters was very irregular. Hyslin said it was dimension wood that had been cut in a sawmill. Whoever built the chapel used whatever lumber was available, often piecing wood together to create the rafters.

The purlins ranged in size from one by three to seven by 12 feet. Although the original wood in the roof would have to be replaced and a more structurally sound roof with more rafters would replace it, the irregular design of the rafters would be duplicated. The wood would also be stained the color of the rafters that were there before.

Hyslin said the dimension wood taken from the rafters had been given to Father Roy at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.

According to Adela Ortega, city liaison to the Mission Historic Preservation Commission, the church plans to use the wood to build crosses, which will be sold as commemorative souvenirs. Ortega is researching to find out where the Oblate Fathers, who raised cattle on the property they managed, had a cattle brand. If one can be located, a brand signifying the Oblate Fathers can be burned into the cross. There is no word on when these crosses will be available for sale.

Outside the chapel a workman was welding a steel angle plate. Hyslin explained that steel angle plates would be mounted on top of the walls and held in place with large anchor bolts to stabilize the walls. They would not be visible when renovation was completed.

One of the big surprises they found in renovation were two six-foot snake skins in the shingles. Workmen also saw two large rat snakes slithering off under the chapel. Hyslin said the snakes might have been a blessing in disguise. With all the candles lit in the chapel and the food left around the grounds from picnickers there were no rodents around. Evidently the snakes took care of any rodent problem and actually made the chapel safer.

Another surprise was a concrete splash at the base of the chapel buried beneath the ground. Hyslin thinks it was placed there on a previous renovation to help stabilize the walls. It will be reburied and remain after renovation.

The Progress Times also spoke with Tillotson, who said he was very pleased with the way the renovation was going. Because of the findings, including the posts, he feels the building had some other original purpose and was renovated during the 1800’s to serve as the La Lomita Ranch Chapel.

He felt that the outline of a jacal found inside the walls could indicate the building was older than the 1850’s he had first indicated. It was definitely constructed before the Civil War.

Wherever it was possible, the original chapel would be repaired. If something could not be salvaged, it would be replaced but made to look as much like the original as possible.

Tillotson was pleased the wood from the old roof would be made into crosses as he felt it would allow many residents of Mission to own a piece of the Chapel, making it more of a historical treasure in their minds.

While the chapel will definitely not be completed in time for the annual Easter pilgrimage from Our Lady of Guadalupe, Tillotson said Father Roy is making alternative plans for the pilgrimage to end nearby instead of inside the chapel.

With no more surprises, Tillotson said renovations should be completed sometime in May. With the type of expert renovation the chapel has been given for Mission’s 100th birthday, it should be around for many years to come.