Three steeplejacks from the firm Inspired Heights have spent weeks scaling the steeple of Lake Street Church at 607 Lake St., replacing wind- and water-damaged copper cladding on what the church calls Evanston's oldest public building still in use.

The work, about halfway done as of Wednesday, June 25, is expected to finish by late July or early August, according to Evanston Now reporting. The steeple copper work alone costs between $350,000 and $400,000, part of a broader $1.4 million rehabilitation campaign at the church, whose sanctuary dates to 1873.

Neal Vogel of Restoric, the firm overseeing the project, told the Evanston RoundTable the crew is also removing and refabricating the steeple's cross, which was installed after a 1950s storm. "This is the old-school way to do it," Vogel said of the restoration approach.

Crew member Sam Campbell, a steeplejack from Mississippi, is staying in Evanston for the duration of the job. He told the RoundTable the work isn't dangerous "as long as you know what you are doing." Between shifts, he's visited Willis Tower and taken a dip in Lake Michigan.

The scaffolding now wrapping the steeple is visible to anyone walking or driving through downtown. The church, designed by architect Cass Chapman and opened in 1875, also houses Hilda's Place, the only overnight shelter for the unhoused on the North Shore.

The church's Repair, Restore, Revitalize campaign has raised all but $60,000 of its $1.2 million goal, according to the church's campaign page. No public rededication event has been announced for when the scaffolding comes down.