A small crowd gathered under the scaffolded spire at Christ Church, waiting for crews to bring down the gilded copper bishop's miter and weather vane, before they're sent off for restoration. Rev. Tim Safford said it wasn't something you see every day.
"It's a very special and a very rare artifact that you can never see up close, because it's at the top of a 200-foot steeple," said Safford.
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The artifacts descended in a construction elevator and conservator John Carr carried the miter to a table in the garden.
"Really, this is the pinnacle," said Carr. "This is the weather vane. This is the most visible part of this incredible complex. So it's really rewarding to work on this project."
The steeple was added to the historic church in 1754, 10 years after the main structure was completed. But after all those years — and subsequent damage — it started to lean to the side by about 22 inches.
Now, the spire is in the midst of a $2.5 million renovation. It's expected to take eight weeks to re-gild the artifacts, and Safford says he'd like to put the restored pieces on public display again, before they return to their lofty home.