Imagine a large, beautiful and ornate Catholic church in a large American city, one that has unfortunately been left to decay for twenty years. Imagine neighbors, former church members, preservationists, and other interested parties trying to save it from the wrecking ball for almost as many years. Imagine a church Diosese that smells the green of a developer's money and seeks to knock down the structure in favor of new housing in an up-and-coming neighborhood. All of these visions, and more, have appeared before us in this latest entry in my on-again, off-again blog. Today's entry: the "Faith No More" church.
Plans were finalized in 2009 which saw the church involved in a complicated 3-way swap involving the Diosese and the city with it eventually winding up in the hands of a developer. The property deed was handed over in late 2010 and work began just a few months afterward. There is a catch, however. There always is a catch. While the friends of the church were celebrating its "preservation", the reality was that it was a hollow victory. And perhaps the word "hollow" is most appropriate here because plans call for gutting most of the church and saving just its west and south walls and building up inside them an entirely new, modern senior citizen's residential building. Oh, sure, those two original walls are by far the most interesting and include the three characteristic towers that lend so much to the church's appearance, but seriously, is this really a "perservation"? More like a lobotomy I think. I don't like it. I'm reminded of the scene in "Planet of the Apes" when Charlton Heston sees his buddy with the giant scar on his forehead where the apes cut out his brain.
Oh well, there is nothing I can do. I didn't buy the church so I don't get any input.
On to the photos. I'd been by the place a few times over the years 2008-2010, and it always looked to be impenetrable. Windows were boarded up, and even worse, all the doors were bricked up with concrete block. Occasional interior views could be seen on the internet, usually taken years earlier or accompanied with hair-raising stories of scaling fire escapes and climbing in through holes in the roof. I never figured I'd get to see the insides of the place. Later, workers (or someone) gain access by sawcutting out enough of the concrete blocks at the front entrance to expose one of the front doors, but a large and heavy chain is installed to keep troublemakers from opening it.
Flash forward to July of 2010. On a whim, I drove by on a weekday and noticed something has changed. Gone is the big chain from the front door, and unless my eyes are deceiving me, the door looks to be ajar. I parked the car to investigate. Sure enough, the door is ajar by about one inch. I'm quite sure the church can be entered. Walking around to the back, I find one spot where the fence has been knocked over. Now the plan becomes clearer. Arrive early - really early - on a Sunday morning when no one is around, hop the fence where its already knocked over, and make a beeline to the front door and slip in unnoticed.
Arriving at 5:30 AM, my first concern was an unexpected one. The spot where the back fence was knocked over was illuminated by a streetlight! I suppose that's not necessarily a deal breaker but I was concerned the streetlight would light me up for everyone to see while I fumbled over the fence. I sat there for several minutes and contemplated my next move, or more accurately, whether I'd make a move at all... And all of a sudden the streetlight turned itself off. Ah, its got a light sensor. Now was the time to strike. I grabbed my camera and tripod and made my way to the back alley and was quickly over the fence and into the church's side lot.
Entry into the building was easy as pie. Because of the fence at the front entrance, it was necessary to squeeze under the stair handrails, but after doing so, I was able to march right in through the front door. Yes it was unlocked. Inside, the church was an oven due to the previous day's heat, this being July and all. Pigeon crap, feathers, and dead pigeons were everywhere. A fair amount of recent-vintage garbage was present, probably left during the years before the entrances were bricked up. I made a quick sweep of the place with my flashlight before I busied myself getting some photos.
Man I worked up a sweat shooting in this place! Two trips up the stairs to the balcony, and a few round trips up and back to the alter left me sweating like a pig. Like I mentioned, it was hot in there! After about an hour, I was satisfied with my photos and decided to leave. I headed back out the front door and through the side lot to the fence, then a few minutes I was back to the car. My shirt was soaked from top to bottom in sweat! Luckily I had a spare in the car and if anyone in the neighborhood was awake to see me they would have seen me stripping my sweaty shirt off right there on the street before I got in the car. Hmmm, they would have thought, did that guy just come back from jogging in those heavy work boots?
Plans were finalized in 2009 which saw the church involved in a complicated 3-way swap involving the Diosese and the city with it eventually winding up in the hands of a developer. The property deed was handed over in late 2010 and work began just a few months afterward. There is a catch, however. There always is a catch. While the friends of the church were celebrating its "preservation", the reality was that it was a hollow victory. And perhaps the word "hollow" is most appropriate here because plans call for gutting most of the church and saving just its west and south walls and building up inside them an entirely new, modern senior citizen's residential building. Oh, sure, those two original walls are by far the most interesting and include the three characteristic towers that lend so much to the church's appearance, but seriously, is this really a "perservation"? More like a lobotomy I think. I don't like it. I'm reminded of the scene in "Planet of the Apes" when Charlton Heston sees his buddy with the giant scar on his forehead where the apes cut out his brain. 
Oh well, there is nothing I can do. I didn't buy the church so I don't get any input. 
On to the photos. I'd been by the place a few times over the years 2008-2010, and it always looked to be impenetrable. Windows were boarded up, and even worse, all the doors were bricked up with concrete block. Occasional interior views could be seen on the internet, usually taken years earlier or accompanied with hair-raising stories of scaling fire escapes and climbing in through holes in the roof. I never figured I'd get to see the insides of the place. Later, workers (or someone) gain access by sawcutting out enough of the concrete blocks at the front entrance to expose one of the front doors, but a large and heavy chain is installed to keep troublemakers from opening it. 
Flash forward to July of 2010. On a whim, I drove by on a weekday and noticed something has changed. Gone is the big chain from the front door, and unless my eyes are deceiving me, the door looks to be ajar. I parked the car to investigate. Sure enough, the door is ajar by about one inch. I'm quite sure the church can be entered. Walking around to the back, I find one spot where the fence has been knocked over. Now the plan becomes clearer. Arrive early - really early - on a Sunday morning when no one is around, hop the fence where its already knocked over, and make a beeline to the front door and slip in unnoticed. 
Arriving at 5:30 AM, my first concern was an unexpected one. The spot where the back fence was knocked over was illuminated by a streetlight! I suppose that's not necessarily a deal breaker but I was concerned the streetlight would light me up for everyone to see while I fumbled over the fence. I sat there for several minutes and contemplated my next move, or more accurately, whether I'd make a move at all... And all of a sudden the streetlight turned itself off. Ah, its got a light sensor. Now was the time to strike. I grabbed my camera and tripod and made my way to the back alley and was quickly over the fence and into the church's side lot. 
Entry into the building was easy as pie. Because of the fence at the front entrance, it was necessary to squeeze under the stair handrails, but after doing so, I was able to march right in through the front door. Yes it was unlocked. Inside, the church was an oven due to the previous day's heat, this being July and all. Pigeon crap, feathers, and dead pigeons were everywhere. A fair amount of recent-vintage garbage was present, probably left during the years before the entrances were bricked up. I made a quick sweep of the place with my flashlight before I busied myself getting some photos. 
Man I worked up a sweat shooting in this place! Two trips up the stairs to the balcony, and a few round trips up and back to the alter left me sweating like a pig. Like I mentioned, it was hot in there! After about an hour, I was satisfied with my photos and decided to leave. I headed back out the front door and through the side lot to the fence, then a few minutes I was back to the car. My shirt was soaked from top to bottom in sweat! Luckily I had a spare in the car and if anyone in the neighborhood was awake to see me they would have seen me stripping my sweaty shirt off right there on the street before I got in the car. Hmmm, they would have thought, did that guy just come back from jogging in those heavy work boots? 
