Pre-dawn fire guts old church housing New York’s Liberty Bell – IOTW Report

Pre-dawn fire guts old church housing New York’s Liberty Bell

ABC NEW YORK — 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 by a massive fire early Saturday that sent flames shooting through the roof.

The Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village burned before dawn after a fire spread from a five-story vacant building adjacent to the church around 5 a.m. Flames shot from the roof and the church’s stately front window glowed from the conflagration inside.

“We are devastated. We are gutted like our building is gutted; our hearts are crushed like our doors are crushed,” said the Rev. Jacqueline J. Lewis. “But we know how to be the church, and we know that God is God, yesterday, today and tomorrow.” more

h/t Ghost.

13 Comments on Pre-dawn fire guts old church housing New York’s Liberty Bell

  1. The mission statement. You decide.
    “Middle Collegiate Church is a multicultural, multi-ethnic, inter-generational movement of Spirit and justice, powered by Revolutionary Love, with room for all.”

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  2. Also a MAJOR loss for the figurative art glass world, there were ELEVEN Tiffany Studios windows in the church including a more rare dome in back of the sanctuary in a meeting hall.

    The building dates to 1892ish. The building next door is almost as old and is…a cafe! That was undergoing renovations.

    You can see the windows here:
    http://www.cambridge2000.com/tiffany/html/site/1.1.18.html

    I DOCUMENTED them less than two years ago…

    And for events such as this ONE, is WHY we go around to churches documenting as much of this shit as possible…

    The church is a VERY ‘progressive’ one @Anon and I HIGHLY doubt any shenanigans in the EAST VILLAGE where this happened.

    Thanks @MJA…I doubt they were sharing a common wall, maybe the building to the left, built up against it but even THAT is hard to believe…shoddy reporting…and NO they did NOT ‘peal’ ANY bell for Trumps inauguration and I know that for a FACT.

    Regardless it’s a major loss, worse than Notre Dame and the damage actually done. This is a gut job and the stone walls have been compromised.

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