Bishop to View St. Francis' Church Demolition
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Eagle Street was fully opened to pedestrian traffic on Thursday afternoon as another section of the steeple on St. Francis' Church was removed.
Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski will be in the city on Friday to review progress on the demolition and thank members of both the diocesan and city teams that have worked together responding to this emergency situation. The bishop will meet members of both teams starting at noon at the site of the demolition on Eagle Street.
The extent of the deterioration of the 150-year-old church became apparent late last week when brick facing on the south side of the bell tower fell on the lawn and North Church Street. Engineers hired by the Diocese of Springfield determined that the structural integrity of the building was failing and was in danger of collapse.
Late Saturday night, after discussions with public safety officials, the church property was cordoned off and North Church and Eagle streets closed. The Flatiron Building and the Village Pizza building were evacuated because they were in collapse zone of the 182-foot steeple.
The street and buildings were reopened at 3 p.m. on Thursday and pedestrians were able to cross from the Veterans Memorial to Eagle; the jersey barriers on North Church were moved further north on the street. Village Pizza, which was allowed to operate for delivery only on Tuesday, reopened its dining section almost immediately. Residents of the Flatiron building, some of whom were being put by the diocese at the Holiday Inn, were allowed to return home.
Charlie Arment Trucking Co. of Springfield has been using two cranes to carefully remove the steeple. Work began on Monday, with a two-man crew in a bucket peeling off the exterior sheathing with hammers and pry bars. A top section of the denuded steeple was lifted off by crane on Wednesday, and a smaller section on Thursday, reducing the collapse zone. All that was left of the steeple was a pile of old wood on the church's north lawn.
The company recently demolished the 1857 Holy Name of Jesus Church
The structure was being assessed again late Thursday afternoon for the next steps, which will include the removal of some 9,000 pounds worth of bells restored to the belfry in 1948. The copper cross that had soared above the city for nearly a century was removed whole on Monday morning and donated to the North Adams Museum of History and Science. A supply of bricks as mementos will be made available at a date in the near future.
Once the steeple has been fully deconstructed, work will continue with demolition of the remainder of the structure. The diocese is funding the demolition.
"The diocese is working closely with Mayor Richard Alcombright, along with other North Adams city officials and emergency responders, whose cooperation and assistance have been greatly instrumental in ensuring the safety of the public during this project," said diocesan spokesman Mark Dupont in a statement. "Bishop thought it important that he go to personally express his gratitude."
No time table for completion of the full demolition has been set, but work will progress as safely and as expeditiously as possible, according to the diocese. Police Director Michael Cozzaglio anticipated that Eagle and North Church will continue to be closed to traffic at least through the weekend.
Tags: church, demolition,
