BOSTON (WHDH) - Workers could be seen knocking loose stones from an abandoned church that began crumbling in Jamaica Plain on Tuesday.
A structural collapse sent debris plummeting to the ground outside Sacred Heart Church and prompted an emergency response from the Boston Fire Department who secured the area as decorative stones fell from the roof.
“It was the cornice that was hanging off,” Fire Chief Thomas Black explained. “They removed it and they barricaded the immediate area of the property.”
Thankfully, no one was hurt.
“That’s number one, keep the area safe and try to make provisions for what can happen with this building in the future,” Blake said,
The Archdiocese closed the church in 2003 and it has sat abandoned ever since.
A few years ago, the property was purchased by the Hyde Square Task Force, a local nonprofit focused on youth development, with the hopes of converting it to a community center.
The lack of funds caused the nonprofit to begin looking for buyers instead.
“It’s sad. It’s obviously a building that is in need of a lot of love and care, and we know that” Executive Director Celina Miranda said.
The task force brought in an engineer to secure the building and hope it will be sold soon.
“We hope that somebody who loves the building as much as we do comes and does what it needs in order for the building to continue to be an important presence in the community,” Miranda said.
BFD companies on scene at Sacred Heart Church in Jamaica Plain. Some of the beautiful coping stones have shown they’re aging by falling to the steps below. No injuries were caused by the stone. pic.twitter.com/Zeerix9TZz
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) November 24, 2020
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