Steinbrecher Painting gives homeless shelter a facelift
Dan Greene of Steinbrecher Painting tapes a wall to prepare it for painting.
Lee Steinbrecher and his crew from Princeton-based Steinbrecher Painting are no strangers to brightening up a room.
But on Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12, Steinbrecher Painting was brightening lives at a St. Paul homeless shelter.
The Dorothy Day Center in downtown St. Paul received a makeover last week and it was the Princeton-based painting contractor that volunteered to do the behind-the-scenes work.
The Dorothy Day Center won the prize through Benjamin Moore Paints’ “Color Care Across America” program, a collaboration between Benjamin Moore Paints, the United States Conference of Mayors and the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America.
Steinbrecher Painting is a member of the trade association Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) and was asked by the organization to participate in the program, which set a goal of refurbishing 51 shelters in 50 states in 50 days.
Steinbrecher Painting paid the wages of his crew and then volunteered the crew’s time to the project, said owner Lee Steinbrecher.
Steinbrecher said he and his crew didn’t know what to expect when they arrived at the Dorothy Day Center. The homeless shelter and food kitchen was in serious need of renovation, Steinbrecher said.
“Nothing had been done there for 30 years,” Steinbrecher said. “It needed a lot more than just painting the walls.”
Friday they painted the day room of the shelter and on Saturday they painted the cafeteria room.
“But we were needed to do more than just paint,” Steinbrecher said. “We needed to do drywall taping, wall repair and also replaced wallpaper.”
Steinbrecher Painting started in on the project at about 9 a.m. on Friday morning. By 10:30 a.m. Saturday the crew from Princeton was part of a ceremony in which the newly refurbished Dorothy Day Center was being revealed to its clients and to the community.
“It was a good project,” Steinbrecher said.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said in a statement, “Our efforts to improve Saint Paul are diverse, reflecting the social and economic diversity of our city. By winning this bid, the Dorothy Day Center can better the lives of those in the community who have the greatest need.”
Steinbrecher said he was glad to play a major role in the renovation of the Dorothy Day Center. The project was another accomplishment in what is shaping up to be a big year for the company.
Earlier this year Steinbrecher Painting was presented with a prestigious award from the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America organization. The award was given for excellence in the field of commercial interior painting at the newly completed Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
