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JUNE 30, 2003CULTURE
The U.S. Department of the Interior's recent decision to reverse a long-standing policy and allow federal funds to be used to restore historic houses of worship is important in principle, experts say, but not in practice. In announcing the departmental ruling, Interior Secretary Gale Norton stood in front of the Old North Church, where two lanterns helped guide Paul Revere on his famed 1775 ride, and announced that the church would receive a federal grant of $317,000 for repairs. Yet each year fire alone strikes more than 1,200 houses of worship, many of them of great historic value, causing more than $40 million in damage. Other factors, such as water damage, also wreak havoc. According to one survey, old stone churches in inner-city neighborhoods may need $1 million in repairs on average to remain viable. Congregations by themselves are often too poor to perform the repairs necessary to thwart such disasters, and even fewer can afford to rebuild if serious damage occurs. As a result, experts
say, irreplaceable religious edifices are disappearing much faster than they
can be repaired, affecting the religious and social fabric of the communities
they have served. Questions for reporters What historic places of worship in your area are in need of repair? What efforts have been made to repair them? Who spearheaded the efforts, and where did the money come from? How have repairs changed the use of the buildings? How does the obligation - legal or ethical - to make a building handicapped accessible affect the structure and budget? What do people say their importance is to the community, architecturally, historically, socially or religiously? What do people say would be lost if the buildings continue to decline? What historic places have been lost already? Are there any efforts to channel public money into saving historic places of worship? Are faiths that originally built the structure (Catholics, Jews, etc.) helping its new tenants (Korean Presbyterians, Muslims, etc.) preserve what is now a part of their common legacy? Why it matters Since the earliest
days of the American colonies, houses of worship have been the cornerstone of
communal life in this country, and they remain important cultural and aesthetic
touchstones for civic life even when their congregants move away. As a June
12, 2003, Quinnipiac University poll
showed, Americans approved the Bush administration decision to use federal grants
for religious sites designated as landmarks by a 70-22 margin. Moreover, congregations
are often vital community centers that provide a range of services, from day
care to meeting places for addiction groups. The burden of maintaining aging
structures cuts sharply into congregations' ability to provide those services.
Skip to background National sources • Partners
for Sacred Places
is the leading organization promoting the preservation of houses of worship.
Every two years the Philadelphia-based nonprofit produces a list of the Top
Ten houses of worship to save. Read the 2001
list; the 2002 list has not yet been issued. Sacred Places' leaders are
the best place to go for explanations about the scope of the problem and the
rationale and criteria for government assistance to religious buildings. Contact
co-directors Bob Jaeger, bjaeger@sacredplaces.org,
215-567-3234, ext. 12, or Diane Cohen, dcohen@sacredplaces.org,
215-567-3234, ext. 11. The web site has a useful list
of links to other preservation sites.
One of the principal reasons so many historic sites are at risk is demographics: Once-thriving ethnic and religious communities have moved from large cities to the suburbs. They left behind architecturally important structures that were then taken over by poorer congregations who inherited buildings they couldn't afford to fix up. A background paper by the preservation group Sacred Places shows that in North Philadelphia alone, the average congregation faces $1 million to $2 million worth of repairs. That figure is well beyond the means of most congregations, and similar situations exist in cities around the country. In the West and Southwest, historic - and vulnerable - rural churches made of wood or adobe have been left behind by the migration from the countryside to newer cities and suburbs. THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM • According to a November 2001 survey by the National Fire Protection Association, more than 1,200 fires struck worship centers across the nation each year between 1994 and 1998, causing more than $40 million in damage. (The entire report can be ordered for free from the NFPA; contact public affairs manager Margie Coloian, mcoloian@nfpa.org, or assistant Peg O'Brien, public_affairs@nfpa.org, or call 617-984-7275.) Many of those fires were caused by poor wiring or other maintenance problems or were allowed to spread unchecked by a lack of proper alarms. Few historic sanctuaries have sprinkler systems. Fire is one of the greatest dangers to historic houses of worship for many reasons, experts say:
• Church
Mutual Insurance Company of Merrill, Wis., is the largest insurer of congregational
property in the country and has begun taking steps to educate churches about
fire safety. In 2000 the company produced a 13-minute video on fire safety for
congregations. Church Mutual has also produced several other videos about "risk
management" that focus on avoiding other liabilities stemming from disrepair.
Insurance officials say workers' compensation and other claims resulting from
deteriorating steps or broken handrails pose an enormous financial risk to churches.
For more information or for copies of the video, contact Church Mutual spokesman
Rick Schaber, 715-539-4587, rschaber@churchmutual.com. |
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© 2008 Religion Newswriters Foundation | |
Historic
houses of worship, from synagogues on Manhattan's Lower East Side to clapboard
churches on the Great Plains, are steadily disappearing from the nation's landscape.
The culprits include huge maintenance costs, delayed repairs by poorly funded
congregations and fast-changing demographics that leave architectural gems virtually
abandoned, experts say.