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St. Francis' Church is a shadow of its former self.
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St. Francis' Church Being Razed

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Demolition began in earnest on Wednesday months after the deteriorating steeple on St. Francis' Church was removed.

A building connecting the 150-year-old church to the rectory on Union Street was razed late last week in preparation for the removal of the church proper. Interior work on hazardous waste abatement had been completed some weeks ago.

On Wednesday, in short order, the middle of the massive brick building was reduced to a pile of rubble and only the tower and back portion of the church remained standing. Some benches from the grounds and one of the complete spire structures were loaded onto a flatbed. 

The destruction of the historic building began back in May when brick facing on the tower fell onto the lawn and sidewalk of Eagle Street. Both Church and Eagle streets were closed and a 200-foot perimeter set up to reduce the risk in case of collapse. Two cranes and a crew of experts spent nearly two weeks removing the spire from the 180-foot steeple and lowering thousands of pounds of brass bells to the ground.


The work left a truncated tower that loomed above the city like some ancient abandoned castle. But the spire and belfry roof were left to languish on the lawn at one the city's busiest entrances, which led to numerous complaints. Residents have been urging the city to pressure the Diocese of Springfield to remove the debris as both an eyesore and a heart-wrenching reminder of a much-beloved structure.

The church closed at the beginning of 2008, one of a wave of Catholic houses of worship closed across the state because of declining attendance and aging infrastructure. The $1 million-plus estimate for repairs of St. Francis discouraged parishioners from mounting a protest like that at St. Stanislaus Kostka in Adams, which was saved by a three-year vigil.

St. Francis parish merged with Notre Dame, also closed and in disrepair, to reform at St. Anthony's Church under the new name of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.

The building, meanwhile, sat empty as the diocese attempted to find a buyer for the 15,000-square-foot church and 14,000-square-foot. When it appeared a chain pharmacy might buy it and demolish it, there was an outcry for preservation that came to naught.

Diocesan officials earlier had estimated the complete removal of the building would be done by September.


Tags: church,   demolition,   historic buildings,   st francis,   

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Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime. 
 
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather. 
 
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5
 
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
 
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure. 
 
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
 
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
 
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