Second Century Campaign

Phase 1: Restoring our bell tower

As we celebrate the 100th year of our neo-Romanesque building and its significance to West Michigan, we cannot ignore the Memorial Bell Tower’s deteriorating condition.

Fountain Street Church has always been a beacon, a refuge, and a welcoming community for all who seek to learn, grow, and live freely.  

For generations, friends of Fountain Street Church have invested vast sums to build and upkeep our building. 

Now it is our turn. 

Please consider a gift to help restore our Memorial Bell Tower and ensure it will stand as an enduring beacon to all in West Michigan.

FAQs

  • A: Bells are not the issue. Maintenance on the brick work and water drains has been ignored and now the bricks are crumbling. Of particular concern, the large stones making the pyramid on the very top of the tower are starting to shift

  • A: We don’t have a quote for removing all or part of the tower, however, there are some considerations with this option. Most who read the quote do not anticipate that it would save much. A lot of the cost is in getting scaffolding, an external lift, permits, etc. These would all still be needed to remove the tower. Further, the base of the tower is part of the church building; the tower is not free standing. Finally, as a historic marker (it is Grand Rapids WWI memorial) and in a historic district we know we would have a legal fight with the historic commission if the exterior of the building is changed.

  • A: The main concern being the re-pointing between the bricks and securing some bricks and stones, removing bells or closing openings would not really address these concerns. The quote we have would secure the structure and restore

  • A: We only have one formal bid from OAK and Quinn Evans Architects. Other contractors were contacted but did not seem interested in the work. OAK and Quinn Evans have expertise and experience in this type of specific historic work. The main subcontractor is Restoration Inc out of Kalamazoo. All these contractors have experience on historic bell towers and brick work.

  • A: Tower team has discussed a long term plan. They would like to bring in people to look through the building and identify work that is needed and develop a list of priorities and longer term projects.

  • A: Part of the work that has already been done is to install new stairs and make the levels of the bell tower more accessible. This improved access should assist with ongoing maintenance. According to amacoconstruction.com if re-pointing is done properly it typically lasts 50 - 100 years.

  • A: Mostly no. There is a possibility for a grant from Michigan because it is the WWI memorial though unlikely. There has been speculation that there may be people outside of the congregation or would contribute to a capital campaign though no formal analysis has been done on this yet.

  • A: The answer we have gotten from contractors is that they cannot guarantee anything but that there is no reason to believe that it would be a significant change in the structure over one winter. Additionally, we have put up orange netting and metal reinforcement to keep debris from falling. Further, each time there is a “weather event” including rain, wind, or a freeze-thaw cycle, the contractors are using drones to get updated images to assess if there are new immediate concerns