Demolition of historic St. Laurentius Church in Fishtown could begin as early as Wednesday
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Demolition could begin this week at the historic St. Laurentius Church in Fishtown. Its iconic spires have stood tall in the community for over a century, but eight years ago it closed because of safety concerns.
The mayor's office tells CBS3 that L&I has given the demolition contractor permission to begin work. They are expected to begin as early as Wednesday morning.
L&I will continue to conduct daily inspections.
The church sits at the intersection of Memphis and Berk Streets. The church has been fenced off for some time.
It's been unoccupied since 2014 due to aging, resulting in engineers deeming the building unsafe.
Twin spires, which also define Fishtown's skyline, will be demolished by hand. The process could take up to 6-8 weeks.
"Means a lot if they tear it down, it's going to be nothing but condos," Walter Pomroy said.
Meanwhile, residents in the area have mixed feelings about the iconic church coming down.
"It is Philadelphia. It's a city of old churches and they're going to build another five, six-story apartment building. You can build those anywhere, you can't build this again," another resident said.
The church was built in the 1880s using donations from Polish immigrants. Directly next to the church is a catholic school and families fear demolition could impact the upcoming school year.
The start of the demolition is pending safety preps and weather.