Durable Restoration’s work on Steeple Square in Dubuque, Iowa, won the award for metal roofing from the International Federation for the Roofing Trade (IFD).

The Durable Restoration Co., based in Columbus, Ohio, is the first American company to win the award, which was presented at Edinburgh Castle during the 2019 IFD Conference.

Gary Howes, COO at Durable Restoration, said, “To be the first American company to win this award, it’s beyond my wildest dreams. European companies are the standard when it comes to metalwork and restoration. To be included in that realm shows why we are one of the best.”

Steeple Square, a community event facility that was formerly St. Mary’s Catholic Church, required more than 15,000 pounds of copper to create hundreds of flat-lock panels. Chicago-based Chicago Metal Supply used an additional 10,000 pounds of copper to fabricate dozens of decorative pieces, which Durable Restoration crews installed.

Dubuque-based Gronen Restoration was general contractor on the restoration of Steeple Square.

Shawn Hilborn, operations/construction manager at Gronen, said, “The restored steeple is a step toward a restored sense of community identity to one of Dubuque’s most vulnerable neighborhoods and enables the city to reclaim its roles a center of community support.”

General construction began in June and finished at the end of November. Jason Lee, superintendent at Durable Restoration, and a crew installed various copper pieces including aprons, pans, valleys, fascia, vented dormers, layered dormers, gable ends, finials and gold leafing.

Because of the variety of decorative pieces, restoration crews had to make constant modifications to match the historic nature of the building.

Durable Restoration at IFD conference 2019.

Steeple Square

Steeple Square