CLEVELAND — St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral is on the path to restoration.
On May 28, 2024, a fire caused significant damage to the historic cathedral, which is more than a century old and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It's instantly recognizable due to its 13 onion-shaped domes, representing Jesus and the 12 Apostles.
Since then, the congregation and community have been working steadily toward a comeback.
Worship services are currently taking place in the parish hall next door.
News 5 has been closely following the journey as plans take shape to reconstruct St. Theodosius’s roof and iconic copper domes, and revive the ornate interior that makes it one of a kind.
Reconstruction update
Earlier this month, I met with Fr. Jan Cizmar, dean of St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral, to learn more about the project.
"It's been a journey for me, for the congregation, for the restoration team," Cizmar said.
Plastic sheets, scaffolding, and a temporary roof can’t hide the beauty that still shines inside the cathedral.
"My favorite part is the sanctuary itself, the Holy of Holies," Fr. Cizmar said, who is guiding the recovery.
"I'm sure that's a heavy weight for you as an individual… as a spiritual leader. How do you manage all the stress?" I asked Fr. Cizmar.
"My faith, of course, and the community when we meet on Sunday morning and worship the Lord all together," he responded. "Like Adam, he had God in paradise, and he had Eve. So, I have my family, and I have God."
The fire was ruled accidental, the result of roofers making repairs that involved soldering the copper roof.
Days after the incident, its central dome had to be dismantled as the building was at risk of collapsing.
Now, a different company, WR Restoration, is overseeing the reconstruction.
"What stands out as you guys are in charge of this colossal task?" I asked Jim Wamelink, vice president of WR Restoration.
"The complexity. Trying to bring everyone together," Wamelink said.
The work is being done in collaboration with Bostwick Design Partnership and Osborn Engineering.
Wamelink said the church still has great bones, and workers are proud to be tasked with making it shine again.
"They want to put their hands on it and be part of rebuilding this for the community," Wamelink said. "Yeah, it means a lot to us."
The work will essentially entail a total roof repair. The project has expanded in scope.
"We determined many months afterwards, about three months after the fire, that the fire had jumped from its main location through the attic and into the north and south gables and burned those structures," Wamelink said. "And in order to make all the flashing and make it all waterproof, that means we also have to remove a good portion of the east roof structure as well."
Wamelink said costs are estimated to be between $7 and $10 million at this point.
Separately, the cathedral will need to repair and replace religious relics, restore frescoes, and complete other interior cosmetic work—an effort estimated to cost several million dollars.
Architects, engineers, and others have spent months mapping out the plan forward.
"One of the things we’ve done for the church is we’ve done a 3D scan of not only the structure but all the artwork using a system called Matterport," Wamelink said. "We’ve been able to digitally save all the graphics so that they can reference those in the future for the design work and know where they were and the colors that go with all those."
Local videographer creating documentary
Following the key moments is videographer Nate Stroempl, of Lakewood, who owns Video Needs LLC.
"Some of the interviews that I've done in there have been some of my favorite interviews I've ever done," Stroempl said.
He’s already released two short versions of what will become a documentary highlighting the church’s origins, built by the hands of immigrants.
"A lot of them worked down in the steel mills, and each of them saved part of their paycheck and put it towards constructing that church," Stroempl said.
He called it an honor to be able to capture the efforts to reopen the doors to St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral, and has enjoyed hearing stories from members about weddings, baptisms, and other cherished moments in the sacred space.
"It’s a big responsibility," Stroempl said. "But, I do think that something I'm meant to do."
Stroempl said he’s always admired the cathedral and had flown his drone over it in the past, before the fire. Some of that footage is in the documentary.
He’s looking forward to the day when he’s able to roll on the domes being placed back onto the cathedral. It’s a day Cizmar also dreams of.
"Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel — a little bit?" I asked Cizmar.
"Yes. Most definitely," he replied
St. Theodosius Orthodox Cathedral has insurance, but it won't cover all the reconstruction costs. Fundraising efforts continue; to learn more, visit its website.
