Sheepshead Bay Steeples Will Remain
Today The Eagle points to a Courier Life article that says the steeples on Sheepshead Bay’s 142-year-old United Methodist Church will not be demolished. The church’s pastor says the congregation brought in a new contractor who presented an affordable plan for preserving the steeples. The news follows previous reports that said the structures were a…
Today The Eagle points to a Courier Life article that says the steeples on Sheepshead Bay’s 142-year-old United Methodist Church will not be demolished. The church’s pastor says the congregation brought in a new contractor who presented an affordable plan for preserving the steeples. The news follows previous reports that said the structures were a safety hazard and the congregation didn’t have enough money to keep them intact. The Courier Life story also notes that the renovation will be the first the church has seen in more than 85 years.
Steeples Saved! [Courier Life]
Historic Sheepshead Bay Church To Save Its Leaning Steeples [Eagle]
Steeple Demolition Uncontroversial in Sheepshead [Brownstoner]
Here is the Church, and There Go the Steeples [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo by wallyg.
I think what this shows is that making noise and getting press coverage in situations like this can often result in having people who have the skills, connections, or wherewithal to help, finding out about the problem, and getting in touch with the affected parties. This is true whether you need your steeple fixed or you need life-saving surgery, or to replace stolen wheelchairs. People can be amazingly generous with their time, expertise, and money if they just know about something, and it moves them.
It also shows that the first opinion, especially on something of this importance to the church, congregation, and the community, is not the only opinion. That proved true in the MacDonough house cellar collapse, as well. Tearing down, while the easiest solution, is not always the best solution.
By Minard Lafever on February 11, 2011 4:26 PM
My bet is that the pastor is lying. The little steeples could probably be stabilized for 30 to 40 thousand dollars. They are not large or scary. He wants a new concrete church, I’m telling you. Check back next year as see if a) the steeples are fine and pastor is gone. b) the whole church is demolished and the pastor is raising money for the new church.
Man did I effin misread that article. Thanks Jessi although that quote is not apparently verbatim like the ones from the BID. But there’s is a quote from the chair of the financial board, basically the treasurer. Oops!
I take back what I said; I was sensitive to the topic.
Jester, ssems The Times got a quote from the Pastor – is that not sufficient?
“The church’s pastor, the Rev. Jay Kyung Kim, said they were unstable and a public safety hazard. The spires — the taller of the two rises more than 80 feet from the ground — have driven cracks down the interior of the church’s facade, and will be demolished and capped as soon as the weather allows. New steeples will probably not be built, he said.”
Having spent the morning talking with not one but two engineers about two unrelated issues for my church, I’m guessing they got a loan on their endowment (the only thing that keeps a lot of these fading mainline churches going). Then the RAND architect sktetched a plan and they bid it out to a recommended disability-specialist contractor.
Anyone notice in the Times article quotes in the third link, that there is no real “official” church response? the number one thing that bothered me about this saga is how no supposedly reputalbe media source got a quote from either the church council president, Exec. Committee, or communications director. Even tiny old churches have designated spokespeople but that Times article made it sound like the reporter wandered coffee hour and just finally selected someone who looked approachable. The Times is a good paper but their editorial vision, I just often am puzzled.
I’m glad the congregation took the matter into their own hands and obtained a second opinion.
Does this mean that situations are not always simple and best explained by assuming the worst about people?
I wonder if Minard will take back what he said about the pastor.
OMG – so this wasn’t actually the first step in a systematic approach to demolish a church that wasn’t even protected in the first place.