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First Church of Christ (New London, Connecticut)

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First Church of Christ
The church in 2020
Religion
AffiliationChristian
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusDestroyed
Location
LocationNew London, Connecticut
Geographic coordinates41°21′18″N 72°05′49″W / 41.3551°N 72.0969°W / 41.3551; -72.0969
Architecture
Architect(s)Leopold Eidlitz
StyleGothic Revival
GroundbreakingMay 28, 1852
Completed1853
Construction costUS$28,000
DestroyedJanuary 25, 2024
Specifications
Capacity1,100
Spire(s)1
Spire height150 ft (45.7 Meters)

The First Church of Christ, also called the First Congregational Church, was a Gothic Revival-style church located in New London, Connecticut. It was completed in 1853, designed by Prague-born architect Leopold Eidlitz.[1] This large granite edifice featured a tall central spire, rising in three stages and topped by a gold ball, typical of significant buildings in Prague. The central bell tower was flanked by two lower towers with pitched roofs. The church occupied a prominent position on Union Street, across from the City Hall, and anchoring the Downtown New London Historic District.[1][2]

The building is no longer standing, due to a sudden loss of structural integrity. Its steeple completely and almost instantaneously collapsed at 1:30 pm on January 25, 2024.[3] Demolition of the rest of the building was completed the following week.[4]

History

[edit]

The building traced its history to a congregation originally formed by early settlers to New London in the 1600s.[5] The prior meeting house was built in 1786 but was damaged by fire in February, 1848. The congregation then commissioned Eidlitz to design a new structure.[6][7] Construction took place in 1850-1853, and the building was dedicated in July 1853.[6]

In 1876, a bell was installed in the church tower. The town of New London used the bell as a fire alarm and as a way to call people to meetings.[5] In 1975, an annex building was added to the rear of the church.[3]

By the early 2000s, the church was serving free breakfast on weekday mornings.[8] They also held remembrance services for homeless people from the area who had died.[9]

In 2011, Engaging Heaven Church began using the space for their services. In 2015, the building was sold for $250,000 to Engaging Heaven Church. The original congregation had a shrinking number of members and no longer had sufficient funds to maintain the building. The two congregations continued to share use of the building.[10][11] A few years later, part of the building's roof was replaced.[8]

Steeple collapse

[edit]

The church's steeple collapsed on itself and on the roof of the church at 1:30 pm on January 25, 2024, destroying much of the building. The only person in the building was the church office manager who was able to evacuate without sustaining injuries.[5][12][13]

New London's Mayor Passero told the press that the building was likely a complete loss, as the structural soundness of the remainder could not be determined.[13] According to initial reports, church and city leadership had not seen any previous structural issues with the church.[12][13] The building's most recent fire inspection had been in 2019, during which three minor violations were found and fixed.[3]

However, as far back as 1851, the original architect had warned of a structural issue with unsatisfactory masonry work. From the 1930s until the actual collapse, the top of the steeple had moved 19 inches (48 cm).[14]

In 2011, a condition report on the building was conducted but the team did not have a structural engineer involved. The photos included in that 2011 report identified areas of water infiltration through failing sections of the slate roof, and stress fractures in the exterior granite mortar.[15] That report identified cracks in the masonry and issues with roof flashing. In total, about $700,000 in repairs and upgrades were needed, some of which applied to the exterior fabric of the building but were not subsequently addressed or monitored. Prior to that date, steel tie rods had been inserted to re-enforce sections of the tower walls.[16]

Architects, engineers, and preservationists have been studying images of the church in order to speculate about the cause of the collapse and to identify risks to other similar structures.[17] The possible explanations for the collapse include masonry deterioration, rusting of the metal tie rods, and foundation failure.[17][18]

The structure likely suffered from a long period of deferred maintenance. At the moment of the collapse, the tower tipped backwards over the roof of the church, suggesting that the weakness was at the back of the tower.[17] Signs of displacement in the NW buttress and deformation in the roof framing have been identified through close retrospective analysis of photos captured prior to the collapse. [14] At the front of the tower, there were deficiencies in water drainage from the balconies that ran on either side of the spire, next to the left and right side towers, allowing water to infiltrate.[14]

Environmental conditions that may have aggravated structural weaknesses include: high levels of ground saturation from a recent rainfall with a record-breaking 4 inches (100 mm) falling on January 9, 2024, compounding subsidence and other water infiltration and drainage problems; repeated damage from freeze-thaw cycles; and vibrations from pile driving for building the wind energy infrastructure at the nearby State Pier.[19][20] However given the solid bedrock at the church's foundation, it is more likely that the original faulty masonry aggravated by unaddressed water infiltration was the cause.

In response to the collapse, Connecticut College evacuated their nearby dormitory Manwaring Hall. Subsequently it was found that the collapse of the church damaged the retaining wall of Manwaring Hall.[21] On the day of the collapse, the authorities in New London closed City Hall and a post office in an effort to prevent traffic near the site.[5]

It was determined that the remainder of the structure could not be saved.[22] Demolition on the church began on January 26, 2024,[23] and was completed on February 1.[3][4] The bell and the organ were also destroyed. The 1970s annex building remains but has been condemned. The rubble from the church remained on site awaiting an environmental assessment.[8] The City of New London placed a lien on Engaging Heaven Church for the expense of securing the site after the collapse and subsequent complete demolition, which cost nearly $250,000.[24] Six months after the collapse, plans were underway to sell the site to a housing developer. [25]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Downtown New London National Register District Nomination Form" (PDF). npgallery.nps.gov. 1978-10-19. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  2. ^ "Downtown New London Historic District, New London City, New London County, New London, CT, 06320". www.livingplaces.com. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  3. ^ a b c d Gendreau, LeAnne; Fortuna, Angela (2024-01-26). "Historic New London church to be completely demolished after steeple collapse". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  4. ^ a b Smith, Greg (February 3, 2024). "Time Lapse: Demolition of New London's First Congregational Church". The Day. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d "Historic church collapses in downtown New London". Connecticut Public. 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  6. ^ a b Jacobs, Kenneth Franklin (2005). "Leopold Eidlitz: Becoming an American architect". University of Pennsylvania Scholarly Commons. pp. 153–155. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  7. ^ Ruddy, John. "Collapsed spire was an instantly recognizable part of New London". www.theday.com. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  8. ^ a b c Muszynski, Justin (2024-01-26). "Demolition of historic church in New London to be complete by early next week". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  9. ^ Goode, Christine Dempsey, Matthew P. Knox, Steven (2024-01-26). "Remainder of collapsed New London church will be demolished". New Haven Register. Retrieved 2024-01-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Young, Colin A. (September 23, 2014). "Iconic church in New London getting a new owner". www.theday.com. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  11. ^ Ganley, Shaun (2024-01-26). "Stone steeple of New England church collapses". WCVB. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  12. ^ a b "Steeple of historic Connecticut church collapses, no injuries reported". AP News. 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  13. ^ a b c LaBella, Josh (2024-01-25). "Steeple collapses at New London's First Congregational Church". CT Insider. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  14. ^ a b c Bell, Mike (April 14, 2024). "A Slow Motion Topple: Steeple Collapse in New London, CT". Bell's Engineering Ideas and Commentary. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  15. ^ Silver Petrucelli and Associates (December 2, 2011), First Congregational Church in New London: Comprehensive Condition Analysis and Fiscal Needs Assessment (Draft Report) (PDF)
  16. ^ City of New London (January 26, 2024). "News and Notices: 66 Union Street Church Collapse Documents". City of New London. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Ostroff, Jeff (February 1, 2024). "Church steeple collapse in New London, CT". Engineering Tips: Engineering Disasters and Failures Forum. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  18. ^ Bell, Mike (February 1, 2024). "Church Steeple Collapse: Caught on Video and Simulated in 3D". Bell's 3D Analysis. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  19. ^ Langeveld, Martin (January 30, 2024). "How a church collapse in New London relates to Pittsfield". Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  20. ^ Leavenworth, Jesse (January 31, 2024). "New London church collapse spotlights need to preserve CT's historic houses of worship, advocates say". CT Insider. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  21. ^ Penney, John (April 23, 2024). "Manwaring owner threatens lawsuit related to collapsed New London church". The Day. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  22. ^ Dempsey, Christine (January 26, 2024). "Remainder of collapsed New London church will be demolished". CT Insider. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  23. ^ Sobel, Evan (January 27, 2024). "Demolition continues following church collapse in New London". WFSB Eyewitness News. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  24. ^ Pitts, Amanda (20 February 2024). "Costs for New London church collapse near $250K; city places lien on property". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  25. ^ Hajdasz, Luke (July 11, 2024). "Apartments planned for site of collapsed New London church". WFSB Eyewitness News Channel 3. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
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