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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Melissa Meyer-Article-Wrecking St. StephenARTS U HISTORIC IMAGE: An early undated photograph of the Mission -style St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, which opened in 1912. Wrecking St. Stephen's was a sin BY BETH DUNLOP bdunloplaaMiiam,Heraldcom A week ago, I thought this colttmn would be al] eloquent plea for saving Miami's oldest house of worship. Instead, I'm writing an obituary for the historic St'. Stephen's Church, just shy of a century old at the time of its wanton demolition. I thought the Bible said, "Remove not the ancient landmark, which your fathers have set." and not "down with the old and up with the new," but I must be reading a different testament. The church had deep roots: among its members were the Munroes, the Matheson and the McFar- lanes — names that form a cornerstone of Coconut Grove history. St. Stephen's opened in 1912 as a simple, little Mission -style chapel, but a few years later, the colonnade was added, giving the church a more imposing presence. The building was "deconsecrated" in 195S when a new sanctuary was built, and over the years a few unfortunate cos- metic alterations were made — but nothing perma- nent. Some time back, Jennifer Briley, a parishioner whose background is in modern design, was selected to develop a plan for new classrooms and offices for St. Stephen's Episcopal Day School and for what the church called a "new, green and LEED-registered" two-story commercial building along Main Highway. Briley is an architect who shows promise as a modernist but who has already gained a less -than -stellar reputation in the world of preservation for her role in the demolition of another, albeit entirely different landmark — the swooping, parabolic Americana Motor Inn in Fort Lauderdale. RENOVATION PLAN The original plan called for renovating a portion of the old church and keeping the loggia. Late in the game, plans changed: The commercial space grew and the historic building was eliminated. But the drawings didn't change, which lulled many into thinking that at least part of the church building was safe. The fundraising brochure stated paint - blank: "To preserve our rich heritage, great efforts have been made in the design to incorporate the historic bell tower and the facade of the original building." The required legal notification to neighbors was vague enough that many didn't know the historic church was coming down. St. Stephen's application to the city stated that the project would include "an entry building incorporating elements of the origi- nal front facade of the Mission Style Chapel that occupied the site in the early part of the 1900s; cur- rently very few of the original details remain" — when in fact, the original structure was all but intact. (And one wonders: Where was the city planning department in all this? Didn't anyone take a look?) It was not until another parishioner, architec- tural designer Melissa Meyer, called attention to the. demolition — she had worked on the project for several years but stepped down when it became clear that the church was to be destroyed — that the preservation community sprang into action. Here's where the story becomes really sad. Almost immediately, meetings were scheduled by some of Miami's leading preservationists — among them Arve Moore Parks, Dolly McIntyre and David Doheney — to talk with St. Stephen's officials. The group gained a promise that no demolition would occur until all sides could meet. Preservationists left their meeting believing they had a week to seek alternatives. Two days later, a construction fence went up. Then came workmen wielding sledgehammers, destroying the most irreplaceable historic ele- ments. The bulldozing began in earnest Monday and, by the time it was over, almost nothing was saved for history or for reuse — not the concrete cast columns, Ludowici tile, cypress brackets, the original tongue-lh-groove ceiling. Most of the irre- placeable Dade County pine roof beams and VNOTOM OVININ F AMU/ alAaI MAID ttArF NOW AND THEN: Above, major demolition began last Monday on Miami's oldest church. Below, the church as it looked in 1918, with an added colonnade. trusses were slashed to bits, though Briley was abi to extract four trusses and continues to search fc other reusable timber. The bell, cross, plaques an cornerstone were also saved, along with three co umns from a later addition to the building. I have trouble with all of this demolition architecturally, philosophically, theologically, env ronmentally, historically. I've heard St. Stephen': side of the story, and I'm not persuaded. In 30 year of writing about historic preservation here (and decade of writing about houses of worship a across America for House & Garden magazine). I'v never seen such blatant disregard for civic dis' course. I've seen some developers demolish precip itously. even illegally, out Manger or in an assertio of private property rights, But this is a chinch and school, where the basic lessons of life — and let start with the Golden Rule — ought to be at th forefront. It's doubtful that this plan was the only possibl one Did a new building (which will be subject t taxes, one presumes, in thatit is commercial space have to go in the place of a powerful marker of hi! tory? One wonders if, restored to its original beaub that chapel might not have yielded the church fa more income from weddings. Philosophically, I look to the example that being set, in the community, in' the parish, in th schoo1.1 weep most for the children who now lend that bullies win, that you should hit first and noLtr to "use your words." That's not how I would want my children — or any children — to be educated but it's the message that St. Stephen's has pre sented: Do what you want and don't listen to others True, the letter of the law was met, but barely. there no longer any role for civil discussion in uu, society? St. Stephen's rector, the Rev. Wilifred Alter Faiella, sent an after -the -fact e-missive to her cot gregatioa in which she invokes a passage in th New Testament (John 2:19) that says "Destroy th temple and I will raise it up," adding that her mat date is to serve the living. I am no theologian, but have a problem of confext here. This particul: chapter of John tells the famous story of Jesus' cas ing of merchants and moneylenders out of the ten ple, saying, "Do not make my Father's house into house of merchandise." This makes me wood, about using the verse to explain away the decisio to tear dawn a house of worship fora retail bulk ing. NOT VERY GREEN The pile of rubble that once was historic St. 5t, phen's makes a total mockery out of the state intent of making the new building "green" as th first step was nothing but waste — waste resources, wasted materials and debris that wi now go to a landfill and further despoil the envirm meat. The intent of building green is to do so (roe start to finish. The greenest of all architectun practices is reusing historic structures. It's hard t deny that schools should have good facilitir (though I sent my son to a historic, landmarked ele mentary school in which only half the classroom were air-conditioned, and he managed to survive well enough to graduate with honors from Yale). But this was never an either-or proposition. S Stephen's set up a series of false choices — chlldre or buildings, past or present, religious mandate vs. secular world — that were all predicated on a ran pant disregard for history, even a hatred of it. Not far down Main Highway are two step: examples of the alternative. Two pioneer buildin( — the Pagoda and the "Band Cottage" — sit beauti fully restored on the campus of Ransom Everglade School. Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart h: done a masterful job of saving its architectural eel n•rpiece, the exquisite El Jardin. On those can pules, it's clear that who we are has deep roots i the past, that we are here because of those wh came before us, and that it is worth honoring the legacy. In the end, historic preservation is abm respect,