Electric fire blamed for
Middle Collegiate blaze;
Liberty Bell saved
BY DEAN MOSES
The investigation into the
fi re which wrought havoc
on several buildings along
7th Street and 2nd Avenue, including
Middle Collegiate Church
in the East Village on Dec. 5 has
concluded.
After an extensive probe into
the six-alarm inferno that gutted
the beloved religious institution
and forced its neighboring buildings
to be demolished is said to
be the result of faulty electrical
wiring, according to the FDNY.
The fire originated from a
vacant building at 48 East 7th
Street just before 5am, and then
over the course of the morning
and well into the afternoon the
fi re spread into Middle Collegiate
Church. Similarly, in February at
the same location a 3-alarm fi re
occurred, which was also ruled
an accidental, electrical, building
wiring. On Twitter, FDNY stated
that both fi res were unrelated.
“Per FDNY Fire Marshals:
Cause of the 3-alarm fi re on 2/10
at 48 East 7th Street in Manhattan
was accidental, electrical,
building wiring. The current
6-alarm fi re at the same location
is unrelated. FDNY operations
continue and Fire Marshals are
on the scene.”
The news of what caused the
fi re comes over one week since
the blaze, and while it may not
offer much solace to those
still mourning the ruined
landmark, another emerging
detail might.
Middle Collegiate Church
announced through twitter
Sunday morning that the
Liberty bell survived the fi re
and will “ring again.” This
famous bell chimed for the
nation’s birth in 1776 before
doing the same 300 years later
for those who perished during the
World Trade Center terror attacks
on 9/11.
Both church members and
community members feared that
the historical relic was lost in the
blaze, but after city engineers
inspected the bell’s resting place
Middle Collegiate Church’s outer shell stands charred and gutted
on East 7th street.
in the upper steeple it was discovered
largely unharmed.
Reverend Jacqueline Lewis told
amNewYork Metro on Dec 10th
that the church plans to rebuild
and thanks to donations from
all over the world, the effort has
already raised over $200,000 in
relief funds.
Hailed as the Norte Dame of
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
the East Village, Middle Collegiate
Church has continued their
virtual sermons and have been
able to visit the site to salvage
historic documents, art pieces
and other priceless memorabilia
from their program building at 50
East 7th Street.
If you are interested in donating
visit middlechurch.org/rising
Middle Collegiate senior minister vows
church will rise from ashes
BY DEAN MOSES
Nearly two weeks after a
tragic, six-alarm fi re left
the East Village’s historic
Middle Collegiate Church in ruin,
the work to rebuild the house of
worship has only just begun.
The smoke has lifted and the
world is beginning to move on,
but for Reverend Jacqueline Lewis
and her parishioners, it isn’t so
easy. The spiritual leader of the
world-renowned house of worship
took the time to speak with The
Villager about the church’s current
state of affairs as well as their
plans for the future.
As fl ames tore through Middle
Collegiate Church, scorching the
early morning sky on Saturday,
Dec. 5, many heartbroken onlookers
dubbed the raging inferno
East Village’s Notre Dame. New
York watched while the beloved
community hub was gutted from
the inside out.
Now, merely the hollow, outer
shell remains standing beside a
gigantic pile of debris that used to
house Cafe Mocha.
Reverend Lewis now aims to
look beyond the scorched rubble
to help the church rise from the
ashes, both literally and fi guratively.
But in doing so, she must
also acknowledge that the 128
year-old building that housed so
many unforgettable memories for
both herself and her congregation.
“We know that we are more
than the building, but it is important
to say the building matters–
the space matters. It was
inside where we got married,
inside where we organized, inside
where we got ready for the pride
march… all of those memories
are inside that building that dates
back to 1892,” Lewis said.
Lewis toured the remains of
Middle Collegiate Church on
Thursday morning, Dec. 10. It
is still shocking for the institution’s
fi rst Black reverend to see
her religious home lying in ruin,
an edifi ce where she has spent
almost two decades of her life.
Through doors hanging off their
hinges, Lewis does not see a roof
made of stone; instead she sees
nothing but the endless blue sky.
Although the house may be
gone, the worship will continue.
They will be still hosting their holiday
service on Dec. 20 at 11:45
a.m., while also rebroadcasting “A
Bold New Love: Christmas Eve
with Middle Collegiate Church,”
on Christmas Eve at 9 p.m. and
Christmas Day at 9 a.m., a segment
fi lmed with CBS two years
ago.
One of the central reasons the
church means so much to the East
Village neighborhood is its open
door welcome policy to everyone,
regardless of sexual orientation.
Many of Middle Collegiate
Church’s members were made up
by the LGBQT community and
participated in the Black Lives
Matter movement, even rallying
at climate change events and
walking in the annual Women’s
March.
That progressive mindset
made the location so popular to
those who didn’t feel accepted in
more traditional clerical settings.
These fundamental principles
are core reasons why so many
people from all over the world
have reached out to the church in
hopes of aiding them to fl ourish
once more.
“Whenever something like this
happens buildings have insurance,
and insurance never covers
all of the stuff,” Lewis said. “Our
neighbors are already offering,
they are saying ‘How can we help
you,’ from as far away as China
and New Zealand. People are saying
how can we help you all across
the country. I think people know
that we do revolutionary love, and
revolutionary love is contagious.
People are loving us back and I
am so incredibly thankful for the
generous outpouring of prayers
and support in solidarity and
love. It’s been so heartening and
hope making. Our ministry is
ongoing. So, when people make
a donation, they are donating to
our ongoing work and setting us
up to rebuild.”
For those who want to help but
can’t afford to do it monetarily,
Lewis said, “Right now we don’t
have access to the building, but
there will be opportunities to
volunteer.”
“We will rise from these ashes,”
Lewis said.
As of now, the two side buildings
where the fi re started have
been demolished. The insides
may be gutted, but the side walls
and their church house building
still stands with damage. While
the investigation is still ongoing,
repairs are not in sight just yet.
The church’s staff must fi rst wait
for permission from the FDNY
to retrieve more belongings and
precious materials.
If you want to offer a helping
hand, donate at middlechurch.
org/rising.
Reverend Jacqueline Lewis stands before the burned remains
of Middle Collegiate Church.
10 December 17, 2020 Schneps Media
/rising
