The Craftsman:  Mark Venham of Construction Systems, Inc.

His Winning Work:  Ornamental plaster work at the Worthington Presbyterian Church

His Challenge: The detailed craftsmanship of Mark Venham is apparent when viewing the ornamental plaster in the main sanctuary of the Worthington Presbyterian Church.

Venham and his crew of six had a mere 35 days to complete the project. The work involved preformed sections of columns, capitals, cornice, medallions, dentil molding and roping that were set in place and then molded to create a monolithic design.

Restoring the existing ornamentation that had been damaged over time was a challenge. Venham used hand tools and molding plaster to accomplish this meticulous task. He also removed detailed sections from the original chapel in order to cast new molds. The plaster sections weighing hundreds of pounds were reproduced in glass fiber reinforced gypsum shapes for an exact replica of the original structure.

Venham was able to blend new technologies with old world craftsmanship to create a seamless union between the new and 80-year old original construction.

Venham has been employed with Construction Systems, Inc. for more than 17 years. He has been in the industry for 32 years.

Craftsman’s Comments:  “It is a beautiful church. Amazing the way it looked when it was finished. I am proud!” 

Architect: Rogers Krajnak Architects, Inc.
Engineer: Korda/Nemeth Engineering, Inc.
Contractor: Elford, Inc.

Venham is a three-time Craftsmanship Award winner. He received his first award in 1994 for the plaster work at the Spiegel/Eddie Bauer distribution facility. His second award was in 2002, for the exterior insulation and finish system at the Worthington Seventh-day Adventist Church. He started in the industry at age 13, helping his father on projects. Venham’s father worked on all three of the Craftsmanship Award winning projects and retired this year from Construction Systems, Inc. at age 74.

Updated 7/24/2006