Historic Manhattan church survives fire, officials confirm Liberty Bell
Located in lower Manhattan, with 128 years of history of the Middle College Church (The Middle Collegiate Church), 5 by the nearby fire and seriously damaged, the historic church has a New York “Liberty Bell”; Pastor Lewis (Jacqueline Lewis) said on the 12th, after a detailed examination of the appearance and operation of the Liberty Bell, that it is still well preserved and can continue to use.
The New York City Fire Department said the cause of the fire began with a faulty electrical circuit, and the five-story building where the fire started had a fire on Feb. 20 this year and has been vacant since then.
Built in 1892, “Middle College Church” is the site of New York’s oldest college church, dating back to the Dutch settlement of the island in the 1620s, according to the church’s website.
The Liberty Bell inside the church was rung in 1776 to commemorate the birth of the United States, and has been rung since then for the inauguration and death of U.S. presidents, and for events such as the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The Liberty Bell is well preserved. Pastor Lewis said that the 392-year-old church has a dress code for Sunday services, which is open to all, and that casual clothes are fine.
Andrew Rudansky, a spokesman for the Department of Buildings (DOB), said city engineers “used an artificial lift to get a closer look” at the church’s upper spire and the bell tower that houses the Liberty Bell on the 12th.
DOB also noted that engineers will continue to monitor and assess the stability of the church’s remaining structures, including the front and steeple, and that cleaning is still underway.
“City building engineers have been on site daily since the morning of the fire, overseeing demolition work at the 48 East 7th Street site. Rudansky said the DOB has now ordered partial demolition of the unstable elements of the church building, including the rear and nave of the church, which were completely destroyed in the fire; “This is not a complete demolition order because it does not include the front and steeple.
Lewis said the church, which has already received about $200,000 in donations just a week from the fire, has been consistently worshiping online and praying for first responders since March.
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