Second photo by Steven
The six-alarm fire, which broke out on Dec. 5, 2020, gutted the 128-year-old structure on Second Avenue near Seventh Street and damaged Middle Collegiate's adjacent program building on Seventh Street.
The fire reportedly started inside 48 E. Seventh St., the five-story residential building that once stood on this corner. FDNY officials blamed faulty wiring at the under-renovation No. 48 and said the fire had been deemed "non-suspicious."
Since the fire, the congregation has raised over $9 million toward a $10.5 million rebuilding goal through its "Middle Rising" fund. You can donate to Middle's rebuild at this link.
The church also announced the formation of a new nonprofit, Freedom Rising Inc., which will expand Middle's work through justice, arts, and leadership programming.
"This is not just about bricks and mortar," Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister, said in a press release about the reopening. "It's about restoring a space that has long served our neighborhood with education, justice, and arts programming."
As previously reported, church leaders said they had to remove what remained on the property within the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. According to a report commissioned by the church, the culmination of an 18-month review, there was too much damage to the existing structure to integrate it into Middle Collegiate's new home, as it would not withstand a full-scale rebuild on the property.
Previously on EV Grieve:
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