Church roof collapse caught on camera
Wednesday February 1, 2012
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A part of Cobar’s history came crashing down in spectacular fashion last Thursday when the roof of the former St Margaret’s Presbyterian Church in Becker Street collapsed.
The historic former St Margaret’s Presbyterian Church in Becker Street looks set for demolition in the coming weeks after its roof collapsed last Thursday.
Amazing footage of the roof coming down on the vacant building has “gone viral” online with more than 2,100 views of the Youtube clip since it was posted on Friday.
Jean Michael Mort, who lives next door to the church, managed to capture on film the moment the roof finally let go after attempting to gather evidence of the gradual failure of the building for the owner.
He said he had heard “popping and cracking” from the church building increasing over the past three weeks and observed occasional bricks falling from the structure.
Cobar Shire Council’s general manager Gary Woodman said the building is likely to be demolished once the owner (who lives interstate) arrives this week.
“Council first noticed a bow in the wall of the building when works were being carried out on the Town Hall Cinema,” Mr Woodman said.
“Last week there was a lot more activity on the site and council was contacted, and after further investigations we had started the process to order emergency works be carried out to secure the building,” he said.
However the roof caved in on the building around 4pm Thursday (Australia Day),
with State Emergency Services (SES) and Essential Energy personnel along with council staff assisting at the scene to ensure public safety.
SES volunteers worked on the neighbouring properties where debris had fallen onto an adjoining vehicle garage and assisted to stabilise the remaining section of the church building which was posing a threat to nearby property.
Mr Woodman said a crane was used to assist with an assessment of the stability of the remaining sections of the building, particularly the facade, with part of Becker Street closed to traffic as a precaution.
“The crane was available to push the front section either forward or back if we felt it was necessary, however it was determined that the section is reasonably stable for now,” Mr Woodman said.
He said the owner of the building is expected to finalise the demolition plans.
The St Margaret’s Presbyterian Church was built in 1900 and was last sold in 2005, although it had been privately owned for some years before that, operating as an art gallery for many years.
While the church is not listed on the state heritage database, the neighbouring manse is listed as an item of interest with the statement of significance saying the “aesthetics of the church group” in Becker Street is of high historical importance.
“[The site] demonstrates historical associations with the Presbyterian faith and community in the area.
“The site is valued by the Cobar community as evidence of its social history linked to the Presbyterian Church,” the state heritage register says.
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