From Dome To Dust

At 3:15 on the afternoon of Feb. 2, the skylight dome of St. James Cathedral neatly folded like a house of cards and, carrying the cross with it, fell to the transept floor 120 feet below. It was the most spectacular collapse of the several local roofs that were crushed under the wet snow dumped during the historic blizzard of the winter of 1916.

In the accompanying photo, most of the ruins are hidden beyond and below the partly crushed altar rail that crosses the scene from the right just beyond the steps to the bishop's chair. The sanctuary was then still elevated 4 feet above the nave, and the high altar sheltered below its baldachin — a canopy supported by four ornate columns, one of which shows in the foreground of the historical view. The repaired cathedral was built at one level, and the altar now rests directly below the "oculus Dei." This "eye of God" first returned unfiltered light to the sanctuary as part of the cathedral's most recent restoration in 1994.

The best way to compare the original sanctuary with its present setting is to examine the part that has changed the least — the nave that is capped at its western end with an organ that, when it was installed, was considered by many as "the best in the West." Because of the length of the cathedral and the accompanying acoustic delay, a second organ was installed at its eastern end, and the two can be played from one keyboard.

The present director of cathedral liturgy, Corinna Laughlin, says that when the church's pastor first saw the damage, he instructed the editor of the Catholic Northwest Progress not to say a word to the press.By contrast, Bishop Edward O'Dea quickly announced that a "new and substantial temple will replace the old."

Paul Dorpat specializes in historical photography and has published several books on early Seattle.