The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Here is the church; Here is the steeple. Open the door; See all the people.

Except this church has a dome rather than a steeple.

The city of Orange Historic Preservation Commission met Tuesday afternoon to discuss and ultimately approve a new dome for the old First Baptist Church of Orange building at Green Avenue and Fifth Street. The structure now houses the Center for Stark Cultural Venues after the congregation built a new home on MLK Drive and moved there.

Jimmie Lewis, director or planning and community development, gave the commission a presentation on the dome. The current aluminum dome was erected in the 1940s. Over time, it has collected various dents, wrinkled panels and leaking caulking that would get the church’s interior wet.

The new dome will have a good, permanent waterproof surface underneath and a zinc tile exterior.

According to information from Zinc Sheet Environmental Profile:

Roofs made from zinc sheet can last for centuries

It is 100 percent recyclable

Zinc is aesthetically pleasing

Zinc sheets has also been shown to provide shielding properties that can reduce electromagnetic radiation exposure

The original dome was erected in 1914 when the church was built. It was believed it was made of wooden shingles in diamond-shaped tiles. Some of the wooden structure of the dome may need replacing too.

The new roof will emulate the original one and also meet local wind codes.

On a side note, the sale of the Southern Pacific Railroad train depot at Green Avenue was finalized on Monday. A non-profit group plans to restore the depot.

The old dome of the former First Baptist Church of Orange will be replaced with a zinc tile , waterproof dome. The structure now houses the Center for Stark Cultural Venues after the congregation built a new home on MLK Drive and moved there.