The Craftsman:  Edwin Hirle of Dean’s Custom Fixtures, Inc.

His Winning Work:  Wood Frame Organ Screen Wall at St.
Mark’s Episcopal Church

The master carpentry skills of Edwin Hirle are clearly identifiable at the  St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Upper Arlington.

Hirle and his crew of nine, fabricated, constructed and assembled a 30-foot high by 24-foot wide wood frame organ screen wall. The screen wall is in front of the pipe organ in the alter area of the church.

The design had to fit within the existing structural framework. Each piece was fabricated, fit and assembled in the warehouse. The screen wall was then taken apart to be shipped and reassembled on-site.

The actual overlay of each individual member and finger joint was hand cut by Hirle on an angle with a cross buck saw. The individual members, which were 10-inches wide, were bent, bowed and shaped to form, all at separate angles.

Hirle has been employed by Dean’s Custom Fixtures for almost two of his 33 years in the industry.

Architect:  Phillip Markwood Architects
Engineer:  Shelley Metz Baumann Hawk, Inc.
General Contractor:  Apex/M & P Construction, LLC

Hirle is a first-time Craftsmanship Award winner. He is from Ruhpolding Germany where he owned a business for 20 years. He made a promise to his great-grandfather that he would keep the family trade alive and he still uses his great-grandfathers’ tools.

Updated 8/11/2005