When does demolition end and excavation begin? That’s the question we were asking ourselves as we passed by the remains of St. George’s Church in Vinegar Hill yesteday morning. On Tuesday, after three months of manual demolition, two stories of the brick structure at 203 York Street still stood. Yesterday morning? Nada, except for a small portion of a brick wall. How did so much get done in the last two days if the contractors were forbidden, because of the church’s proximity to the public school next door, from performing any mechanical demolition? Illegally, that’s how. The DOB caught wind of the church-wreckers’ shenanigans yesterday and went and slapped the project with a Stop Work Order and the general contractor, MRC Contracting, with six violations for performing mechanical demolition without a permit to do so. Unfortunately, this is just a cost of doing business for these types of people.
The Destruction of St. George’s Church Continues Apace [Brownstoner] GMAP
In Vinegar Hill, Another Church Biting the Dust [Brownstoner] P*Shark DOB