The Craftsman:  Ron Ladina of The Durable Slate Co.

His Winning Work: Restoration of the 100 year-old skylight and copper cupola at the First United Methodist Church

The superior craftsmanship of Ron Ladina is evident when gazing up at the 13-foot copper cupola on top of the 60-foot roof of the First United Methodist Church in Lancaster.

With no access to the original plans, Ladina led a crew of six to completely restore the 100-year old skylight and copper cupola on the main sanctuary roof. The unusual and irregular dimensions of the design were a challenge to duplicate and presented a dimension of difficulty in fitting the cupola into the existing rafter structure.

For two months, this project was above an irreplaceable century-old antique stained glass window. Ladina repaired the wood sashes of the windows that had rotted, re-leaded and reinstalled the glass.

His master skills in restoration, combined with an industrial design background, allowed him to plan and execute the work to improve the entire structure beyond the scope of the original installation.

Ladina has spent 22 years in restoration, with the past 11 years specializing in copper while working for The Durable Slate Company.

Engineer:  Korda/Nemeth Engineering Inc.
General Contractor:  The Durable Slate Company

Ron Ladina is a two-time Craftsmanship Award winner. He received a Craftsmanship Award in 2001 for structural and ornamental sheet metal at the First United Methodist Church in London. He has a degree in industrial design from the Columbus College of Art and Design. Ron works with his twin brother, Rick, who is also a past Craftsmanship Award winner.

Updated 8/11/2005