In his most recent letter to parishioners (dated March 25), Edwin Torres, chairman of the Committee to Save St. Brigid’s, reported that the steeples at the church on Avenue B at Eighth Street will not be replaced as previously reported.
Torres also reported that the church's entire foundation needs to be stabilized. Why?
"The church sits on what is basically porridge," he wrote. "There is no bedrock until you reach 92 feet. There is also an underground stream which runs very close to the property."
However serious, Torres said he's confident the problem "is being addressed by well-qualified people with experience and knowledge in restoration."
The underground stream may be the fabled Minetta stream. It did originate in the LES in the Stuy Town area.
ReplyDeleteOne look at the building, and I think an eye with even a modest amount of engineering training can see the building's not long for this world. There are severe foundational cracks snaking up most visible sides of the building.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is the committee (or whatever) that's leading the rehabilitation of this building will eventual report it's too expensive to fix all the problems, and will recommend to raise the church and build a-new.
This isn't what I'd like to see happen. But after all the poor decisions made in regard to this sad, old structure, I think it's too late to save it -- certainly too late (and too expensive) when considering the amount of money left by the anonymous donor.
Thanks for the comment. I certainly hope it doesn't come to this either... You're right, though -- the church needs a tremendous amount of work... The crack on the north side looks particularly troublesome.
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