Construction of nave interior

In subsequent years, Ditmars supervised the construction of the basement heating tunnels, the crypt and the initial aspects of the interior limestone walls and gustavino vaulted ceilings. In 1925, diocesan officials felt it might be possible to complete the grand edifice in time for Bishop O'Connor's fiftieth anniversary of ordination in December of 1926, but the proposed October 31, 1926 dedication had to be postponed because of several incidents: the first occasioned by a dispute over the type of limestone to be used; the others, simply the inevitable delays of the construction process. The stone agreed upon ultimately was Indiana limestone, and was installed by the Waldron firm in the sanctuary and ambulatory.

In spite of the postponement, the limestone installation continued, as did work on the vaulting and sanctuary floor and sacristies, but Bishop O'Connor's death on May 20, 1927, limited Ditmars' responsibilities to those contracts which had already been drawn. Meanwhile, the Waldron Company was instructed to finish the crypt where Bishop O'Connor had been laid to rest. Work commenced in August, 1927 and ended some months later with the installation of a botticino marble altar purchased from Benziger Brothers of New York. The completion of all existing contracts marked Mr. Ditmars' last association with the project. (He passed away in 1935 without seeing the Cathedral completed.)