A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER

Interesting and appalling

The chapel in St. Paul's. The stained glass window on the right was made by Tiffany's in 1892. There is nothing protecting it from vandals.

The chapel in St. Paul’s. The stained glass window on the right was made by Tiffany’s in 1892. There is nothing protecting it from vandals.

This week we were made aware of a YouTube video made by “urban explorers” who entered the historic St. Paul’s main building and shot a nineteen minute video depicting the inside of the building. Although the filmmakers incorrectly refer to the building as an “abandoned all girls Catholic school” the building is clearly St. Paul’s.

This is both interesting and appalling.

It’s interesting because for quite some time the Village has refused access to the inside of the building, citing health risks. However, these filmmakers, who go by the name “Dark Exploration Films” blithely entered the building and took a tour from the topmost floor to the cellar. While the two (or possibly three) young men are rather stupidly not wearing any protective gear to avoid contamination, they are also able to walk throughout the building. There don’t appear to be structural instabilities or obvious holes in the floors, for example.

One of the

One of the “urban explorers” in the St. Paul’s parlor

The film they took shows a building that is both beautiful and in decay.

But what is appalling is that the Village doesn’t seem to be doing anything to slow that decay down or even preserve the parts of the building that are valuable, such as the Tiffany’s window in the chapel.

The window, which is listed in the Tiffany’s catalogue as having been created in 1892 as a memorial to a child, is undoubtedly priceless. But guess what? It is completely exposed, without even a sheet of Plexiglas to protect it from rocks or BB guns. It is beyond belief that the Village wouldn’t take even the most rudimentary steps in protecting that treasure.

And then there’s the fact that the filmmakers were able to even make the film in the first place.

The film is nineteen minutes long, and is edited, so presumably they were in the building for substantially longer than that. The footage was taken during the day time, as well, so it’s not like they snuck in during the dead of night.

An upstairs corridor. The paint is peeling everywhere, but the woodwork is still beautiful.

An upstairs corridor. The paint is peeling everywhere, but the woodwork is still beautiful.

Some years ago the Village had alarm systems installed at St. Paul’s and, we presumed they included some form of burglar alarms, such as motion detectors. Well, it seems that if there is a burglar alarm system there now, it’s non-functional. How about the fire detection system? Do we know if that’s working?

Fortunately, the guys who took this video, while apparently trespassing, were well intentioned. They just wanted to marvel at the building and show viewers around. But the next set of trespassers might be much less benign. And now that the Village is aware that it’s apparently easy to gain entry into the structure, the Village simply must act to secure the premises and protect what is left of it.

– Meg Morgan Norris

 

 

 

9 responses to “A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER”

  1. T. Paine says:

    The village wants the building to decay so it can be torn down and real-estate developers can get their hands on it. That’s the long game.

    • Jack Oneil says:

      Dear T. Paine. You are sadly, horribly mistaken. The land cannot be used for any commercial purpose. The land can only be used to benefit the people of GC in a community capacity. I know it’s hard to stop the vitriol and speak to the facts but you have to try. There have been two (at least) lawsuits to make sure the land can’t be sold or used for condos/rentals/senior housing. Stop with the nonsense and do some fact-finding for yourself before spouting off.

  2. Alex S. says:

    What very irresponsible reporting stating “There doesn’t appear to be structural instabilities”. What qualifications does Meg Norris have to determine a buildings stability by looking at a video? I totally agree with the point that the Village should come to a decision on what to do with the Building as soon as possible. The current Trustees are moving forward to get to that point as they have invested in finding out what is needed to stabilize the building and what reasonable options are there use for the building keeping in mind a major raise in taxes would probably not be acceptable to most residents. While that is happening, please do not give anyone the impression that they can walk through St. Paul’s safely if they can get in, as that is just negligent unless you are qualified to make such a determination.

  3. Cosmo Veneziale, Architect says:

    The video made by these urban explorers was more revealing and informative than what was presented by the architectural firm hired by the Village. The building is still salvageable despite the Village’s blatant neglect to provide basic protection of St. Paul’s roof and facades. The interior woodwork appears in good condition especially at the lower floors. The ornamental metal railings, stained glass, organ, pews and skylight all can be restored. Removal of contaminated materials such as asbestos, lead and pigeon guano in conjunction with basic building envelope repairs will allow for a thorough appraisal of the building. The erroneous assessment by BBB in their initial presentations of St. Paul’s was at best self serving. They did not conduct the observations these urban explorers did. I don’t condone trespassing. However, the video revealed that simple roof and window repairs would provide the necessary protection the Village has neglected to perform. The urban explorers were not accurate as to the history of St. Paul’s but they were spot on as to the beauty of its design.

  4. Rob Alvey says:

    Kudos to the third group that went to St Paul’s and filmed the truth. The building has been held hostage by corrupt trustees for over 20 years. Tired of the lies and politics coming each year from trustees that only see sports as a source of income they will support. This building is an architectural treasure worth saving and restoring. Glad I gave up on Garden City and went South.

  5. John Viscardi says:

    The you tube video that was up earlier today is now convinently unavailable.

  6. Matt says:

    As a former student and one who lived in to that building for 7 years, it is entirely heartbreaking to view the condition of those sacred halls. I wish and pray, as all who attended St Paul’s do, that a positive future may still exist.

  7. R says:

    Better condos or new homes than the giant sports center with professional ice hockey rink and underground parking that is now being contemplated! Such a project will raise taxes and depress real estate values. The residents of GC deserve a greater voice in the future of this historic building. I remember voting on possible uses of the St. Paul’s property approximately 20 years ago. That was certainly a waste of time as all these years later the subject is still being debated and the expensive professional evaluations go on and on.

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