Oh, My Prophetic Soul!
Only a few days ago I wrote about Woodside's neglected St. Paul's Episcopal Church, crying out for someone to pay attention to the 1874 wooden structure, an un-landmarked jewel that was fast heading toward oblivion.
Well, politicians and developers won't have to lose any sleep on how they can circumvent preservationists on this one. A fire tore through the structure last night, destroying the irreplaceable stained glass window and other parts of the church. No people were harmed and the cause of the fire is under investigation. See it before (above) and after (below, courtesy of Queens Crap).
Another loss for poor respect-starved Queens. Sometimes inaction is as good as demolition when it comes to landmarks.
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6 comments:
yeah i saw this on this news and was like wait a second- didn't i just see a post somewhere about this church? unfortunate coincidence or future script for a b-movie horror film "the blogger"?
no posts about my apartment please!
It's a shame, too, because it seemed like the church owners were trying to retain the building's historical character.
Well, perhaps. I walked by that church almost every day for several years on my way to work. The grounds were kept poorly. There was plastic kids junk everywhere. One might have thought it was abandoned. They may have kept up the original character of the building, but it never occurred to them to give the place a simple coat of paint. Or, better yet, hose it down.
My ancestors were among the founding families of Woodside (Kellys, Howells, Terretts, Rikers), and were directly instrumental in founding St. Paul's. My great, great grandmother, Anna Maria (Friedle) (Kelly) Howell donated the large stained glass window behind the altar, as well as the land for the church. It is truly a shame that the edifice is now lost to history. I had asked the current pastor to allow me to transcribe the church records for posterity, but I never heard back from him.
It's a pleasure to meet you Oclough. I'm sorry for your ancestors' loss. Particularly the stained glass windows and the records.
Thanks for your concern, Brooks. I am not sure if the church records were also destroyed. I hope they stored them in a fireproof safe. Incidentally, my family's estate, the Kelly/Howell mansion, was located on the present site of the St. Sebastian's parking lot next to the school. The original property of 115 acres was purchased in 1826 by my gr.gr.gr. grandfather, John A. Kelly from the heirs of Joseph Sackett.
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