Case Study — Historic Restoration

CATHEDRALGUADALUPE

ANDRESrestoredtheinteriorofDallas'soldestCatholicchurchandcompletedNicholasJ.Clayton'sbelltowerdesign—107yearsafterhebrokeground.TheprojectearnedsevenpreservationawardsandestablishedANDRESasacontractortrustedwithirreplaceablestructures.

Project Type

Historic Restoration

Location

Dallas, TX

Original Structure

1902 Gothic Revival by Nicholas J. Clayton

Architect

Architexas

Phases

Phase I (2002), Phase II (2005), Bell Tower (2005)

Bell Tower Value

$20M

Tower Height

224 ft single spire

Carillon

49 pure bronze bells (largest: 7,500 lbs)

Designation

National Shrine (2023)

Membership

25,000 families — 2nd largest Catholic parish in the US

1898 — Nicholas J. Clayton

A CENTURY OFUNFINISHED BUSINESS

Clayton designed Sacred Heart Cathedral as the crown of Dallas's young Catholic community. The Gothic Revival structure was dedicated in 1902. But his bell tower — the building's intended centerpiece — remained unbuilt for over a century.

1898 — Nicholas J. Clayton

THE ORIGINALVISION

Clayton's surviving sketch — the only design reference for the bell tower that would take 107 years to complete.

1906 — Dallas, Texas

CATHEDRAL OFTHE SACRED HEART

A hand-tinted postcard from 1906 — the cathedral without its tower, four years after dedication.

Early 1900s

THE HEART OFA YOUNG CITY

Sacred Heart Cathedral anchored the Catholic community in a Dallas that was still building its identity.

Phase I & II — 2002–2005

FROM ITALY TOROSS AVENUE

ANDRES reversed the 1966 modifications and restored the cathedral's interior to its original Gothic detail. The team flew to Italy to hand-select Carrara marble for the altar — blessed by Pope John Paul II before installation.

October 2005 — $20M Bell Tower

107 YEARS LATER,THE TOWER RISES

49 pure bronze bells — the largest weighing 7,500 pounds — lifted into a new 224-foot tower built from a single surviving 1898 sketch. Every element had to look as though Clayton himself had built it in 1902.

National Shrine — 2023

NATIONALSHRINE

25,000 registered families. 11,200 average Sunday attendance. The second-largest Catholic church membership in the country. A testament to what happens when a contractor treats irreplaceable architecture with the seriousness it demands.

Complexity highlights

Active Worship During Construction

The cathedral never closed during restoration. ANDRES phased all work around a liturgical calendar with daily masses, weddings, funerals, quinceañeras, and feast day celebrations. Dust containment, noise restrictions, and access coordination were constant constraints across all three phases.

Interpreting a 107-Year-Old Drawing

A single surviving sketch by Nicholas J. Clayton was the only design reference for the bell tower. The team collaborated with Architexas to fill in structural details, proportions, and material specifications that Clayton never documented — while maintaining absolute fidelity to his Gothic Revival vocabulary.

Carillon Installation at Height

49 pure bronze bells — the largest weighing 7,500 pounds — had to be lifted and installed in a new 224-foot tower constructed adjacent to a fragile 100-year-old masonry structure. The rigging and structural engineering required to avoid any load transfer to the existing cathedral was the project's most critical technical challenge.

Marble Sourced from Italy

The altar and reredos required Italian Carrara marble carved to match Gothic Revival detailing. The team traveled to Italy to select stone and commission carving, managing an international supply chain for a material with zero tolerance for error — a single flawed piece would delay the entire chancel installation.

The superintendent who ran Cathedral Guadalupe still works at ANDRES. That's not a recruiting statistic — it's a direct consequence of the ESOP structure that gives every employee ownership in the company's outcomes.

When a contractor retains the people who solved problems on a Gothic Revival restoration, that institutional knowledge is available for the next historic project. The learning curve doesn't reset. The judgment that comes from building inside a 100-year-old cathedral doesn't walk out the door.

2005
Outstanding Construction Award — Texas Building Branch AGC
2005
Award of Excellence for Renovation/Restoration — Texas Construction (ENR)
2006
Palladio Award for Sympathetic Additions — Traditional Building Magazine
2005
Preservation Achievement Award — Preservation Dallas
2005
Golden Trowel Award — United Masonry Contractors Association
2005
Summit Award for Construction Excellence — Texas Building Branch AGC
2005
Honor Award — AIA Dallas

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Adaptive Reuse & Historic Preservation →Preconstruction & Process →

YOUR BUILDING HAS A STORY.
WE KNOW HOW TO PROTECT IT.

ANDRES has restored and adapted 18 historic structures across Texas. If your project demands a contractor who treats irreplaceable architecture with the seriousness it deserves, start here.

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