Historic Landmark Gets a Shiny New Steeple

By Anna Lockhart.  

As one of the tallest structures in Dubuque, Iowa, the Steeple Square structure stands out among the local landscape with its new and stunning copper steeple.  

The Steeple Square building in Dubuque, Iowa received a refreshing makeover thanks to the minds of the brilliant architectural experts at the Durable Slate Company and Chicago Metal Supply. In 2018, the Durable Slate Company was enlisted to take on the challenge in repairing and replacing parts of the structure’s deteriorated roof.  

The Durable Slate Company reached out to the metal experts at Chicago Metal Supply to get their help in giving the original structure a new and bright twist. The lead fabricator at Chicago Metal Supply, Jaime Delgadillo, explained their role in the project, “Durable is a great client to work with. They gave us an opportunity to bid on an awesome piece of architecture that I was actually familiar with. They asked if Chicago Metal Supply could take the old historic wooden pieces and recreate them but with copper, which we were glad to do. Our enjoyment is knowing that what we've have replicated is going to be a part of Dubuque for at least a hundred years to come." 

As a team, the Durable Slate Company and Chicago Metal Supply decked the steeple with 15,000 pounds of 20-ounce copper and handmade panels. Thanks to the efforts of the Chicago Metal Supply crew and the Durable Slate Company, the steeple was restored to its former glory and continues to stand tall among the Dubuque skyline.  

The Durable Slate Company received the 2020 Gold Circle Award from the Roofing Alliance for the Outstanding Workmanship award category for their work on the Steeple Square project. They also received recognition with the North American Copper in Architecture Award from the Copper Development Association for their fine detail work on the copper steeple.  

Read more about the project and recognition the project received.