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January 8, 2007 • VOL. 45, NO. 1 • Oakland, CA
New estimates
put costs for
cathedral center at $190 million
The new Christ
the Light Cathedral Center being built in downtown Oakland is likely to
cost significantly more than first estimated, diocesan officials said
late last month. A Dec. 22 report on the KTVU evening news put the estimated
cost at $190 million, a number confirmed by Oakland Bishop Allen Vigneron
in his letter to diocesan Catholics on page 1 of this issue and continuing
on this page.
The new figure is $59 million more than the earlier estimate of $131 million.
Bishop Vigneron said in his letter that the original estimates did not
include costs for the mausoleum being built beneath the cathedral and
an adjacent conference center. Those expenditures, along with costs for
the cathedral’s organ, account for $44 million of the additional
costs, said Michael Brown, spokesman for the cathedral project.
Brown said an additional $15 million will cover financing expenses, project
management fees, legal fees and property taxes. He said unforeseen site
conditions, including discovery during excavation of foundations from
a previous building at the site, pushed up costs as did construction delays
caused by rain.
The new figure of $190 million, said the bishop, “is closer to probable
reality than earlier estimates.”
Robert Seelig, director of diocesan cemeteries, said $13 million in costs
have been assigned to construction of the mausoleum, though the mausoleum
itself can be built for $5-$6 million. The other $7-8 million, he said,
covers the outlay for excavation, external walls and other construction
elements.
Seelig acknowledged that some consideration had been given to postponing
installation of the mausoleum, but it was decided that delays would increase
costs.
Current plans call for the cemetery corporation to market and operate
the mausoleum, but not to supply funding for its construction, he said.
He also said it is not likely that fees from mausoleum sales will produce
significant income for the cathedral.
Seelig is recommending that burial costs for the mausoleum be kept accessible
for middle class Catholic families. He estimates that an upper level crypt
would be priced at about $10,000, twice the cost for a similar crypt at
a diocesan cemetery, but far below costs for burial at the cathedral in
Los Angeles, for example. Eye-level crypts would be more expensive, he
said.
The mausoleum will have about 1,000 crypts and at least 1,000 niches.
Cost for a niche would be about $3,000, Seelig said.
He said some Catholics have already asked about purchasing space in the
mausoleum, but no sales will be made until the cathedral is complete.
At that time, the body of Oakland’s first bishop, Floyd L. Begin,
will be moved from Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward to one of six crypts
reserved for bishops.
Visitors to the mausoleum will be able to enter directly from Harrison
Street, but there will also be a ramp from the cathedral so a funeral
procession can proceed from the liturgy into the burial area. This action
will remind mourners that they are “going into the sepulchre, into
another sacred space,” said Seelig.
Stained glass windows salvaged from St. Francis de Sales Cathedral before
it was demolished in 1993 will be installed in front of some of the crypt
areas,
Seelig said. The original cathedral was irreparably damaged in the 1989
Loma Prieta earthquake.
Michael Brown of the cathedral project said private fundraising continues
with slightly over $91 million in donations and pledges already secured.
He expects a public fundraising campaign to begin later this year.
When completed, the center will include the cathedral with seating for
1500, the mausoleum, a conference center, offices for diocesan and parish
staffs, living quarters for parish priests and the bishop, a bookstore
and café, underground parking, and an outdoor plaza.
Additional information is available at www.christthelightcathedral.org.
