New London ― As heavy construction equipment tamped down piles of rubble in preparation for demolishing the damaged First Congregational Church on Friday afternoon, city officials continued working to pinpoint the cause of Thursday’s catastrophic steeple collapse.

“We may never know the answer,” Mayor Michael Passero said during an afternoon news conference as cranes a few yards away rearranged the timbers and granite blocks that once comprised the 66 Union St. church.

Passero said structural engineers on Friday determined the 173-year-old church, which is home to two congregations, would need to be completely razed over the next few days with the demolition expected to begin Saturday morning.

Fire Marshal Vernon Skau said his office last conducted a “life safety code inspection” of the church in 2019 and found only minor violations revolving around fire alarm and exit and emergency lighting issues. A 2021 inspection was put off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Skau noted such inspections are narrow in scope and aren’t concerned with structural issues, noting they are “simple walk-throughs.”

Skau said there’s nothing in the city building code that requires regular municipal inspections of churches and other historic buildings, unless a complaint is filed or new work is being planned.

Passero said the city received no complaints regarding the church’s stability. He said the city is exploring the “limits of its legal authority” to determine whether it can require such regular structural inspections inside private buildings, as well as who would bear the cost for such work.

“Based on this incident, we’re going to want to take a look at others,” Passero said earlier in the day. “Steeples at every church in every city in this state are going to be inspected. There are too many congregations that don’t have the money to maintain these structures.”

No cause of the steeple collapse has been determined, though Skau ruled out an explosion. A church secretary, the sole person in the building at the time of the collapse, escaped unharmed.

“It appears to be a catastrophic accident,” Skau said.

“In good condition“

A Dec. 2, 2011, condition analysis report commissioned by the First Congregational Church and compiled by the Silver/Petrucelli + Associates firm determined the church and parish house were in “good condition and not in need of repair, with the exception of the slate roof over the existing sanctuary space.”

The report stated no water leaks were observed in the sanctuary space, but “poor roof condition should be addressed as soon as possible, either with a series of repairs or a total roof replacement.”

The report notes sections of the upper-floor narthex area showed prior signs of water infiltration. City Assistant Building Official Rick Maurice said Friday roof repair work was conducted at the church five or six years ago.

Based on photos of the church roof collapse, Priscella Fonseca, an associate professor of civil engineering at Quinnipiac University, speculated that a combination of age and weather could have brought down the steeple.

“Churches like that aren’t required to be inspected like bridges, so water infiltration over a long, long time can erode the mortar between granite blocks,” she said. “A possible trigger for the collapse is the days of freezing temperatures we had earlier this week, followed by a warm-up and then rain.”

Fonseca said that freeze-thaw cycle can cause the spaces between the granite to expand and shift at the same time as the land underneath such a structure becomes unsteady, a dangerous set of circumstances, especially if a steeple is already leaning.

Passero said Friday he was aware of photos being circulated on social media that show the steeple apparently leaning. It is unclear when the photos were taken. Passero said the photos were not shared with the city before the collapse.

Passero said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will monitor the demolition site for the presence of airborne and other contaminants.

The church is owned by Engaging Heaven Ministries, which purchased it from the First Congregational Church in 2015. Both groups used the church for services until Thursday’s collapse.

Passero said that because of the immediate public safety need, the city hired Manafort Brothers Inc. to manage demolition at the site and would seek reimbursement from the church owners for the cost.

He said the city was still investigating whether the church owners insured the building.

“Taking a deep breath”

The Rev. Cathy Zall, executive director of the New London Homeless Hospitality Center and a co-pastor of the First Congregational Church, said the congregation on Friday was “taking a deep breath” as it mapped out its next steps.

She said congregants are planning to hold a service at a member’s home on Sunday. She said several area churches have offered their spaces to the displaced worshippers.

“The number of faith communities have been just unbelievable in their generosity and support,” Zall said.

Zall said while her congregation is of relatively modest size ― about 15 – the Engaging Heaven Church consists of about 150 members.

“(Engaging Heaven) is a very active congregation,” she said. “And they invested a lot into that building.”

Zall said while viewing footage of the damage, one detail caught her eye.

“I saw the chair I had been sitting in last Sunday under tons of rock,” she said. “It’s a very scary reminder that life is fragile.”

Engaging Heaven Pastor Bob Nicolls said his congregation will celebrate its Sunday service at 11 a.m. at The Garde Arts Center, though there are no firm plans for where future services will be held.

He said the congregation, which he described as following the “evangelical charismatic” belief system and drawn from across the region, was founded by the Rev. James Levesque about 14 years ago in New London and has since expanded into Florida and Missouri.

Nicolls said he’s been humbled by the outpouring of support his church has received from the community, including his fellow faith leaders.

“It was a heart-breaking moment,” he said, referring to the steeple collapse. “Building’s crumble, but people remain.”

He declined to comment on the cause of the collapse or if the church possesses insurance.

Jeanne Milstein, the city’s director of Human Services, said a diverse group of city and community groups, including New London police, local church leaders and other organizations, came together to ensure the church’s weekday breakfast meal service, which feeds up to 80 people daily, would continue.

“The police bought 75 breakfast sandwiches, the city got juice from Stop & Shop and other groups, like St. James Church, the Salvation Army ― which provided space for serving (meals) on Friday ― and the New London Meal Center, offered help,” she said.

Milstein said regular meal service will commence Monday at the Salvation Army center, 11 Governor Winthrop Blvd. and continue there for the foreseeable future.

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j.penney@theday.com