Dorothy Krotzer, a neighbor who lives just a block from St. Peter’s, was walking her dog Romeo through the churchyard as she often does. Although most of the gravestones around her were in good condition, a few damaged ones caught her eye. Several marble grave markers were cracked and one had been pushed off its base completely.
Dorothy decided to do something to help. She is director of the Philadelphia office of Building Conservation Associates, a historic preservation company located in Old City. Her company specializes in restoring historic buildings, art, and monuments. Dorothy contacted St. Peter’s Church and generously offered her firm’s services pro-bono. “I value St. Peter’s as an asset to the community. They do so much for us. I thought it would be nice to do something for them,” Dorothy said.
During the winter and spring of 2025, the team at Building Conservation Associates visited the churchyard and assessed the marble gravestones. Of the 1,433 grave markers, they identified 21 with severe deterioration. Some markers have detached or cracked, and others have open mortar joints. This summer, their team, led by Senior Conservator Kathryn Brown and Conservation Intern Kate Whitney-Schubb, will begin to repair each of these damaged markers. They will fix ones that have been pushed over, stabilizing them with new stainless steel anchors. They will remove the old pins in broken markers and install new lightweight basalt pins, repair the mortar, clean the stones, and patch the stone face.
Major repairs in the St. Peter’s cemetery were last conducted in 2002-2008, when about 400 grave markers were restored and patched. Kathryn said this work was well done, but it is to be expected that some repairs have failed. “After so many years of it being there, the marble is very thin and it’s prone to breakage,” Kathryn said.
Dorothy urges visitors to the churchyard to be mindful of the fragility of the grave markers. Be careful when you walk amongst the stones, and avoid leaning on stones or rubbing dog leashes across them. “We are fortunate to have the churchyard to use as a green space, but we should treat it with respect,” Dorothy said. “Enjoy with care.”
The most important thing for visitors to do is to let St. Peter’s staff know if they notice a marker that has recently broken or cracked, so staff can conserve the broken pieces. St. Peter’s is so grateful for Building Conservation Associates and our neighbor Dorothy Krotzer for their generous assistance and care for our churchyard!