The renovation of St. Brigid's is under way; permit to demolish the church has been removed

You may remember that, despite the $20 million anonymous donation to save St. Brigid's on Avenue B and Eighth Street, the Archdiocese of New York still had the demolition permits on file as of September. No more. Edwin Torres, chairman of the committee to Save St. Brigid's, told his supporters last month that the permits had been withdrawn. Phew. Meanwhile, the renovation begins/continues. We've seen several workers there during recent walks by the 160-year-old church.

Torres said that the Archdiocese has retained architects and other professionals necessary for the renovation. The first step, though: asbestos removal. No word on how long this could take...Aug. 15, 2009?