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1907

The original interior of St. James
Cathedral was airy, simple, and full of light. At the time the
Cathedral was dedicated on December 22, 1907, there was no stained-glass, and stenciling was the
principal decoration.

Looking west, toward the Hutchings-Votey
organ, the view is very much as it is today. |

The collapse of the Dome on February
2, 1916 necessitated a drastic remodel--virtually a rebuilding--of
the Cathedral. Seattle architect John Graham decorated the
interior with Corinthian plaster detailing. Four large corner piers
were introduced at the crossing in order to support a new dome
(never built).
The restoration took more than a year. St. James Cathedral finally
reopened on March 18, 1917. The interior was strikingly different.
Funds had been insufficient to rebuild the dome, and in its place
was a flat fresco based on Raphael’s Ascension (dimly visible
in the photograph). Arcades were added across the front of the north
and south transepts, creating a long aisle; and new terrazzo
flooring made for even grander processions than before. As The
Progress reported, “the whole occasion was marked by a feeling
of satisfaction much similar to that experienced when the building
was first completed 11 years before. It is to be hoped that someday
circumstances will permit the replacement of the great dome.” The
addition of stained glass windows a year later transformed the
building even further. Where once the sun had flooded through the
clear windows, and through windows in the dome itself, filling the
simply furnished interior with natural light, the new windows cast,
in the words of John Milton, “a dim religious light.”

The Sacred Heart statue in the North Transept, as it appeared in
1929. |

In 1950, in honor of the centenary of the Diocese of Nesqually/Seattle,
the Cathedral underwent a major redecoration under the direction of
Rambusch Studio, New York, in collaboration with local architect
John Maloney. A new high altar was erected, and the Cathedral
interior was transformed with the vibrant colors and eclectic
decoration popular in the era.

The high altar as it appeared in the 1980s. To
"modernize" his cathedral, Connolly hired prominent architects.
Paul Thiry--who later became the principal architect of "Century
21," the Seattle World's Fair in 1962--renovated the Cathedral
rectory and added a third storey. Local architect Ralph Lund
oversaw the changes to the Cathedral itself, including replacing the
roof and improving the mechanical systems. |
1994
Renovation and Restoration
The goal of the most recent renovation
of St. James Cathedral, by Bumgardner Architects of Seattle, was to
incorporate the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65)
and change the focus of the liturgical action to the midst of the
assembly.

The Cathedral closed for renovation on Easter Monday, 1994. For the
next nine months, daily Masses were celebrated in the Cathedral
Chapel, and Sunday liturgies took place at the Bishop Thomas E. Gill
Memorial Gymnasium at O’Dea High School—which soon acquired the
catchy nickname of “Saint Gym.” Week after week, a team of
volunteers, with Cathedral Sacristan Jim Johnson (now Father
Johnson), transformed the gym into a cathedral, and then, at the end
of the day, turned it back into a gym again. The transitional time
in the gym helped to prepare the people for their new cathedral, as
the arrangement of the chairs suggested the new configuration of
seating in the cathedral. Weekly bulletin inserts kept everyone
abreast of the extraordinary doings across the street. (Photo by
mike.com)

“The 1994 renovation and renewal began
with an awareness that older church interiors were typically
ill-suited to the reformed rites of Vatican II, which call for a
change in the focus of liturgical action, to the gathered assembly.
Once the architectural aspects and Renaissance layout of the
building were recognized, it became obvious to everyone that the
altar had to be placed in the center. It was a solution which would
encourage full participation in the liturgy while giving harmony to
the building’s historic features. After establishing this central
theme, all the other design decisions flowed from it.” (Stephen Lee,
Architect)

“The focal point of St. James Cathedral is its centrally placed
altar, a gleaming white vision in stone of the heavenly banquet
table. The entire geography of the cathedral—baptistry, ambo,
cathedra, chapels, shrines, windows, processional paths and vaulted
ceiling—makes sense only in relation to the altar, and the people
who gather around the altar make sense of the building and bring it
to life.” (Father Michael G. Ryan)

The Cathedral was rededicated on
December 22, 1994.
Click here to explore more images of the
Cathedral at the Photo Gallery.
To read more about the acclaimed 1994 renovation of St.
James Cathedral, try the Cathedral's own
House of God, Gate of Heaven. |
All pictures
copyright (c) St. James Cathedral Archives, Seattle, Washington. All
rights reserved.
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804 Ninth Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98104
Phone 206.622.3559 Fax 206.622.5303
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