Landmark church gets new life with QUIKRETE

Words: Chad CorleyA local treasure dating back more than a century, El Bethel Missionary Baptist Church was transformed into a public park memento after falling victim to an arson attack in 2007. Epoxy Design Systems successfully repurposed much of the remaining structure as a park pavilion in a manner that reflects the original architecture of the church by using QUIKRETE Shotcrete MS.

Originally built in 1889, El Bethel Missionary Baptist Church served the post-Civil War community of Houston’s Fourth Ward until being replaced with a new sanctuary in 1997. Unfortunately, the vacant church burned down in 2007 in a case that remains unresolved today. Several years later, the City of Houston purchased the remains with plans to convert the area into a park memorializing the church, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the oldest sanctuaries in Houston.

Epoxy Design Systems removed all the unsalvageable elements of the three standing walls, made the necessary structural concrete repairs and reinforced the surface with wire mesh before spray-applying more than 7,000 square feet of QUIKRETE Shotcrete MS on the adaptive reuse project. In addition to renovating and stabilizing the church, Epoxy Design Systems successfully incorporated relief designs in the walls and returns around columns, doors and stained glass windows that recaptured the look and spirit of El Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. Today, visitors can sit on attractive brick pews in the symbolic, open-air church enjoying views of the adjacent park.

QUIKRETE Shotcrete MS is a single component Micro Silica-enhanced repair and restoration material that achieves a compressive strength of more than 9,000 PSI at 28 days, and features very low rebound and permeability characteristics. The QUIKRETE Cos. offers a full line of shotcrete products that can be applied through a wet or dry process to deliver the combination of high strength, high adhesion, low rebound and low sag. These characteristics make QUIKRETE Shotcrete MS ideal for use in rehabilitating bridges, tunnels, parking garages, ramps, piers, dams and other concrete structures.

More information on QUIKRETE products and projects is at www.quikrete.com.
Natural Stone Ordering: Details Matter Before the Job Starts
October 2026

A lot of problems on a stone job can be traced back to the order. I’m on the supplier side, so I see it regularly. A mason can do everything right in the field and still end up fighting a job because the wrong material was ordered, quantities were off, c

Rob McKay
Resources
Read More
Dust Mitigation in Masonry: Practical Strategies for Safer Job Sites
October 2026

Every day, masonry professionals cut block, grind mortar joints, core drill, mix dry materials, and demolish existing structures. These tasks are fundamental to the trade, but they also generate dust. While dust may seem like an unavoidable part of the jo

Greg Brown
Safety Library
Dust Extraction Systems Silica Safety Sponsored
Read More
What Does That Marking Actually Mean?: Understanding the Standards Behind Your PPE
October 2026

Walk onto almost any masonry project, and you will see a variety of markings on personal protective equipment: Z87+, Type I, Type II, Class E, ANSI, and others. We recognize many of these markings and know they are important, but understanding exactly wha

Bethany Dailey
Safety Library
Read More
TERRA Footwear Renews as a Silver Partner in 2027
October 2026

The Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) is pleased to share that TERRA Footwear will renew as a Silver Partner in the 2027 Masonry Alliance Program.

MAP Partner
MAP Partner
Read More