A fire ripped through a 133-year-old vacant church in downtown Elmira last week, destroying the historic structure.
Local fire and emergency crews put out a massive fire in the former First Baptist Church. The fire gutted the structure, leaving a brick shell of the building. Demolition crews leveled the rest of it to the ground earlier this week.
There were no injuries reported from the fire. According to Elmira Fire Chief Andrew Mallow, it took nearly 24 hours to completely extinguish the blaze once it was under control.
The historic church was constructed in 1892. It was the third church built for its growing congregation, but had been vacant since it was decommissioned in 2009. It was sold to a Corning resident in 2010, according to Elmira Mayor Daniel Mandell.
Mandell said the building had structural damage and the roof was compromised before the fire.
“Quite honestly, it was probably going to be torn down if this fire did not happen,” said Mandell. “So I think this fire basically hastened the church coming down. I don't even know if it could have been renovated in such disrepair that it was in.”
The city does not have any plans for the space, but Mandell said he would like to know what the property owner plans to do next.
“Hopefully we get a developer involved to buy it from this person and then construct something there,” expressed Mandell. “It's prime real estate, really, downtown.“
The church’s history includes Underground Railroad stationmaster John W. Jones, who was a member of the church and had his own special pew in the newer building. He was the sexton of the church from the 1850s until he retired in 1890, according to Rachel Dworkin, archivist for the Chemung County Historical Society.
Dworkin said the loss of the building is going to “significantly change the look and feel of the area and probably won’t be replaced anytime soon.”
When the church was decommissioned, the Historical Society was given church records dating back to the 1840s, including membership documents, meeting minutes of the church elders, event programs, newsletters and other administrative items.
It is not clear what caused the fire. The investigation is ongoing.