As a stone-built house of worship, this building serves as a foundation for the Mexican-American community in Kansas City, Missouri, and beyond. Named after the patron saint of Mexico, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church also serves as a shrine. Yet, as with any aging historic building, major repairs are often required.

At the church’s centennial celebration in 2022, parishioners began a campaign to restore the historic building, which included plans for a new roof. Local contractors, JR & Co., stepped forward to replace the ancient roof with modern Malarkey Vista® roofing shingles.

The Church’s History

“Kansas City’s first Hispanic immigrants arrived sporadically,” according to writer Marty Denzer. “[They were] seeking work on the Santa Fe Trail and later, the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads. More Mexicans arrived between 1910 and 1914, displaced by the Mexican Revolution, and increasingly settled along Southwest Boulevard.” By 1914, Father Jose Munoz and Father Cyril Cavato arrived in Kansas City from Mexico and received permission to start a parish.

“The parish was to serve Kansas City’s Hispanic and Mexican community, and was named in honor of Mexico’s patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe,” wrote Denzer.

By 1919, church leadership sought a dedicated space as the community and parish grew. Soon after, the parish purchased the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Emmanuel Church building. After some remodeling, it was officially dedicated in 1922.

Now, more than a century later, calls to support repairs have echoed throughout the community.

Installed by Kansas City Roofing Contractor, JR & Co.

Established in 1986, JR & Co. is a family-oriented construction company also based in Kansas City. While the company’s primary focus is installing roofing shingles, it also offers rooftop maintenance, solar panel installation, federal contracting, disaster relief, roof restoration, and more. JR & Co. provides customers with a full suite of building envelope services from consultation to construction and project oversight.

Vista® Roofing Shingles, Best in Class

For a project of this scale and importance, only best-in-class roofing shingles will suffice. Made with NEX® Rubberized Asphalt, the industry’s leading asphalt roofing shingle technology, Vista® roofing shingles hold the highest impact rating (Class 4). They are also at the forefront of sustainability, utilizing upcycled rubber and plastic, and include smog-reducing granules. Along with superior warranty protection, Vista® roofing shingles are unparalleled.

Vista® roofing shingles are performance-engineered. Malarkey’s proprietary NEX® Polymer Modified (Rubberized) Asphalt combines asphalt for weathering with rubber and plastic polymers for added strength and durability. This foundation for Malarkey roofing shingles is engineered to outperform and outlast. The stats speak for themselves:

• Up to 25% greater tear strength than the industry standard (ASTM D3462).
• Up to 65% greater granule adhesion than the industry standard (ASTM D3462).
• Class 4 hail impact rating (highest rating possible).
• Class A fire rating (highest rating possible).

Furthermore, Vista® roofing shingles also meet the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s (IBHS) stringent FORTIFIED™ roof requirements. This is especially important in the Midwest, where seasonal storms are known to wreak havoc on local roofs.

Vista® roofing shingles are not alone in some of these industry-leading characteristics. See more options in the rest of Malarkey’s architectural roofing shingle line.

Measuring the Eco Offset

The church renovation’s significance preserves local history and commemorates the generations who have built the parish and community surrounding Our Lady of Guadalupe. Installing durable, long-lasting roofing shingles with sustainability in focus, Malarkey products demonstrate the value of building for people and the planet.

At roughly 76 roofing squares of Vista® roofing shingles installed in the Heather color blend, this project upcycled the equivalent of 13 rubber tires and 8,100 plastic bags using Malarkey’s NEX® Polymer-Modified Asphalt. The roof also ‘planted’ 5 trees thanks to 3M’s smog-reducing granules on the shingles.

Proud to Help Celebrate a Centennial

It is an honor to have Malarkey roofing shingles atop the historic building and see faith in Malarkey products from church leadership. Here’s to another 100 years of community service to the residents of Kansas City.