STOCKBRIDGE — For the first time in its 142-year history, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church — a downtown landmark across from the Red Lion Inn — is getting a top-to-bottom makeover.

A much-needed two-phase renovation has included roof and gutter repairs, fixes to the flaking archway designed by Stanford White, and front-yard trenches to divert groundwater away from the church.

As renovations continue at the historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Stockbridge, Rev. Samuel T. Vaught says, "everything we're doing as part of this project is making sure that the church continues long after we're gone."

Preservation Incorporated, a Ghent, N.Y.-based company that specializes in preserving cultural heritage sites, is tackling the yearslong multi-million dollar project.

Rev. Samuel T. Vaught, who arrived at the 80- to 100-member congregation in 2024, said the building's importance goes beyond sitting at one of the busiest crossroads in South County.

"I know from personal experience how just the fact that this place is here can impact someone’s life," the 32-year-old said. "Everything we’re doing is making sure that continues long after we’re gone.”

Michael Flamini, the Junior Warden, said the building is a piece of Gilded Age history worth saving, especially in a town driven by tourism.

“This church is actually a place of pilgrimage,” Flamini said. “I want to make sure that in another 140 years, these doors are still open, so we can continue welcoming, blessing our neighbors, showing the love of God and Christ that we do as a church.”

A view of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Stockbridge, across from the Red Lion Inn, displaying some water damage to be repaired as part of a major renovation at the 142-year-old site.

The building was the first church designed by Charles McKim of the renowned Beaux-Arts firm McKim, Mead & White, whose later works included the Boston Public Library and New York’s Pennsylvania Station. But the Southern Berkshire limestone building, constructed in 1883-84, was not designed with modern moisture protection in mind, according to Ian K.M. Stewart, of Preservation Incorporated. Stewart, who said he has worked on historic buildings all over the world, called the St. Paul's renovation “a wildly compelling” preservation saga.

“The amount of artistic value, architectural significance, plus the number of people coming in, make this building absolutely a gem," he said. "And this is a historically-minded town."

The company spent a year preparing a massive assessment, working with stained-glass consultant and graphic designer Sarah Gwozdz, a Cheshire native.

Preservation Inc. presented a prioritized action plan to the congregation in late 2024. It's a long-range road map with a goal of “caring for this amazing building, a who’s who of the late 19th-century arts and crafts movement,” Stewart said.

Topping the list for repairs were the roof and gutters, threatened by water infiltration, Stewart said, as well as more frequent mid-winter freeze and thaw cycles.

Most of the original gutters had never been replaced, Vaught pointed out.

Repairs to all the original copper gutters, downspouts and slates began last fall and are being completed this summer.

“I suspect we will have solved a great majority of the problems we’ve seen that were [worsening],” said Stewart, including the sinking of the church tower.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Stockbridge is completing phase one of its first major renovation project in its 142-year history, aimed at repairing "water infiltration" and preventing more damage.

The newly-dug trenches are collecting water from the roof and diverting it into the town’s stormwater drain, as approved by town government.

The phase-one work cost about $435,000, including a $100,000-plus Community Preservation Act grant from the town, a similar amount from parishioners and a slice from the church’s $1.5 million endowment, which will be repaid through fundraising.

Still ahead is a punch list of phase two projects — repointing the stone on the upper section of the church tower, and work on some of the stained-glass windows.

That phase will begin “after we have some funding in the bank and we talk to some major foundations,” said Vaught, with the ultimate goal of about $2.5 to 3 million over the next few years.

Stewart joked that preservation work often comes down to one principle: “water bad.” But he added that the work of restoring the building was worth it thanks to the responsiveness of the congregation and residents.

“St. Paul’s [community] has been an absolute joy to work with,” he said.