Massive Fire Breaks Out In NYC Destroying Historic East Village Church

[KY_EnviroGuy]

Massive Fire Breaks Out In NYC Destroying Historic East Village Church | NBC News
•Dec 5, 2020
NBC News

Video shows Middle Collegiate Church engulfed in flames after a fire broke out in the East Village. The fire initially broke out at a vacant five-story building before spreading to the church.

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Sad news anytime but especially near the holidays and during a pandemic. Hoping no one is injured or killed.

KY

[ProgressiveKnight]

1. Strange Audio Comment after 40 second mark.

Listen after the 40 second mark. I heard someone say "to kill time that is what we are here for!" Was that NYFD? Or camera crew of news or onlookers?

[CanonRay]

2. "Vacant 5 story apartment building"

Bet it's some landlord trying to get out from under his mortgage.

[2naSalit]

3. Is it owned by jarvanka?

[Warpy]

4. I've only seen that Tiffany stained flass window from the outside

but it was still painful to watch it being destroyed.

[regnaD kciN]

5. Not sure it was possible to see them from the inside...

It appears the organ completely blocked those three windows.

I'm not even sure they were by Tiffany. There were a number of other Tiffany windows in the church, along the sides of the building. Ironically, since the church had apartment buildings built (presumably long after the church itself) right up against it on either side, completely cutting off sunlight, all of those windows were artificially backlit.

[Warpy]

6. They were Louis Comfort Tiffany windows

I looked it up today because I vaguely remember being told about them.

It's the large stained glass window in the front that was visible from the street that I'm talking about. It was horrible to see the glass falling out, it's a terrible loss.

There's a mention here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/nyregion/church-fire-nyc.html

[smirkymonkey]

7. Oh no! How tragic!

I know that church. What a loss of a beautiful, historic building. When I first read your headline, I was hoping it was not going to be St. Mark's Church, which would have been just as devastating.

Not only was this an amazing and historic building, but the congregation was also very progressive and socially active. My heart goes out to them. I wonder where they will find a new home.

This is right in the heart of the East Village/Ukraininan Village. It is really such a tragedy for all New Yorkers to have lost such an architechtural and historic gem. Not to mention how devastating it must be for the congregation who belonged there.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

8. Good article on it here, SM....

Historic New York church housing Liberty Bell gutted by massive fire

Middle Collegiate Church in East Village built in 1892
Bell that rang for independence in 1776 believed to survive

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/05/new-york-middle-collegiate-church-liberty-bell-fire

Snips...

A historic church in lower Manhattan that houses New York’s Liberty Bell and whose congregation dates to the city’s earliest days was gutted early on Saturday by a massive fire that sent flames shooting through the roof.

The Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village burned before dawn after a fire spread from an adjacent five-story vacant building at around 5am. Flames shot from the roof and the church’s stately front window glowed from the blaze inside
++
Built in 1892, the church is home to the oldest congregation of the Collegiate Churches of New York, which date to the Dutch settlement of the island in the 1620s, according to the church’s website. The Middle Collegiate Church had been in two other locations in Manhattan since 1729.

The bell tower houses New York’s Liberty Bell, which pealed to mark the birth of the United States of America in 1776 and has been rung for the inaugurations and deaths of American presidents and events such as remembrance of the 9/11 attacks.

Lewis believed the bell survived the fire but was not certain. Church minister Amanda Ashcraft told WABC the Tiffany stained glass windows were gone.

That is indeed heartbreaking. It's not just the loss of a historic building and furnishings but also the heart of a close-knit community. Perhaps after the pandemic, they can think about rebuilding.

KY......

[smirkymonkey]

9. Thanks for that KY Enviro Guy.

I appreciate the additional history. It really saddens me all the way around. I loved that neighborhood and spent a lot of time there when I lived in NYC. This is really going to take a toll.

I am very saddened for the congregation, but they can and will regroup and find a new home. The history and the architechtural treasures are gone forever. In case you couldn't tell, I am a staunch preservationist and it just breaks my heart to see old buildings destroyed. I am a die hard fan of Jane Jacobs and an eternal enemy of Robert Moses.

[thucythucy]

10. Another addition to the 2020 list of suckfest events.

Wasn't it this year that Notre Dame in Paris also burned?

[KY_EnviroGuy]

11. Notre Dame fire was April, 2019.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Paris_fire

Perhaps these folks can gain consultations from France on the best methods to rebuild.

KY

[Rhiannon12866]

12. That's an excellent idea, though that will take funds

And obviously Notre Dame is famous enough to have worldwide recognition. Both are historical tragedies.

[thucythucy]

13. All this suckiness these past years

has been rolled in my mind into one giant ball of terminal suck.

But thanks for the correction, and consulting with the folks who are rebuilding Notre Dame is a very good idea.

[magicguido]

14. no reports of Jeeezus blowing out the flames with his magic breath