Deconstruction of the 33 foot wide Narthex by WR Restoration has begun. When the project is complete, every piece will have been painstakingly removed, numbered, and put into storage until an appropriate new location can be identified. Then each piece will be put into place once again.
Church of the Transfiguration – “King’s Crown”
The first step was the removal of the “King’s Crowns.” Remarkably, despite 100 years of rain and snow, sun and pollution, the intricately carved detail remains in good shape, and did not suffer during removal.
With the “King’s Crowns” removed, the next step was the cap stones.
Every project has its surprises, and once the cap stones were removed it became evident that the stonework was a veneer – not solid stone as originally thought.
Documentation will continue as the deconstruction progresses. Check back for updates, or register your email address to receive email notification of new posts.
Historical information is limited, but what we do know comes from the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. EMMANUEL CHURCH (EPISCOPAL) dates from 1871, when ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH at Euclid and Case (E. 40th) St. opened Emmanuel Chapel at Prospect and Hayward (E. 36th) streets. Still under the supervision of St. Paul’s, a new Emmanuel Chapel was built in 1874 on EUCLID AVE.. east of Glen Park Place (E. 86th St.); in 1876 it was admitted to the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio as Emmanuel Church. In 1880 the frame Gothic building was moved slightly west and enlarged. In 1889 conflict resulted in the rector and a large number of parishioners leaving the Episcopal church altogether. They formed the Church of the Epiphany, Reformed Episcopal, and built a church on the other side of Euclid Ave. A period of growth for Emmanuel followed: a Sunday school was started in 1890 and a chapel in 1892, which later became St. Alban’s Parish.
In 1900 the firm of Cram, Goodhue, & Ferguson designed a new building for the Euclid Ave. site (8604 Euclid). A late Gothic Revival structure of stone, it was built as funds became available. The first section, 6 bays of the nave and a temporary chancel, was built in 1902. The remaining 2 bays and the interior were completed in 1904. A new brick and stone parish house replaced the older wooden one in 1924, but the tower of the original plan remained uncompleted. With the sale of adjoining property, the building debt was liquidated and the church consecrated in 1926.
In Oct. of 1991, Emmanuel Church merged with Incarnation Church, an Episcopal congregation originally established in 1891 at E. 105th and St. Clair, which later moved to a building at Ramona Blvd. The combined congregation remained in Emmanuel’s Euclid Ave. building, which was renamed the Church of the Transfiguration. Incarnation’s building was sold to Damascus Baptist Church after the merger.
The Cleveland Landmarks Commission listing shows the Church to have been constructed in 1901-02. Whether it was 1901-02, or 1902-04, it is clear that the Church was built near the end of the hey-days of Millionaire’s Row, and as horse and buggy were beginning to give way to the automobile. What is not yet clear to me is the circumstances that left the Church abandoned, as if the congregation simply walked away after the final Sunday service.
Vestments hanging in a closet in a dressing room adjacent to the Chancel
The parish was in the center of great social and economic change in the neighborhood during the 1950s-1970s. To remain viable, a variety of programs were started, including tutoring, legal aid, and a hunger center serving as many as 1,900 families per month.
The kitchen in the basement of the Parish HouseThe serving room in the basement of the Parish HouseThe dining room in the basement of the Parish HouseThe beautifully detailed pulpitThe electric organ – most certainly a more recent additionThe Communion TableView of the Chancel with Kneeling Bench in the center. Piano and Lectern to the left; Pulpit to the right. Communion Table is out of view on the left.
Deconstruction of the Narthex has begun in preparation for the demolition of the Nave and the Chancel. Photographic documentation of the deconstruction is under-way and will be posted soon. Please return to see the tedious work being undertaken to preserve the 33-foot wide Narthex for future reconstruction. If you missed Part 1, click here.
Church of Transfiguration (Episcopal), 8614 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio
The latest historic structure to make way for growth on the Cleveland Clinic campus, this late Gothic Revival stone structure was built between 1902 and 1904, as Emmanuel Church (Episcopal). It was renamed Church of the Transfiguration after the congregation merged with that of Incarnation Church in 1991.
Demolition of the historic structure will begin once the Narthex has been deconstructedView from the Narthex to the ChancelNote damage caused by leaking roof. Hymnals and Bibles remain in the pew racks.Detailed view of the ChancelView of the PulpitOrgan pipes, Lectern and Communion TableView from the Chancel to the NarthexChurch of the Transfiguration, future site of a Cleveland Clinic Hotel
Emmanuel Church (established in 1876) was one of a number of congregations started from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (established in 1846 and now located in Cleveland Heights). The once robust congregation had dwindled to as few as 40 members before the Church was closed.
Deconstruction of the Narthex begins today. Check back to see the progress! Click here to Part 2.
Lit during the 2013 National Senior Games, the inaugural event showcasing Cleveland’s newly renovated Convention Center in July 2013, the flaming cauldron stands as a symbol of Cleveland’s industrial past and technological future. The Senior Games attracted more than 25,000 visitors to Cleveland. 10,888 of them participated in the largest Senior Games ever.
Flaming Cauldron – Steel with LED lights – July 30, 2013The Lighting Scheme Continuously Changes through Pallet of Colorful CombinationsCleveland’s City Hall as Seen from the Northeast Corner of the Mall – Looking East on Lakeside AvenueThe View of the South End of the Mall including Cleveland Public Library (left) and Old Federal Building (right)Cleveland’s Global Center for Health Innovation
Known as the Group Plan, Cleveland’s public malls and the surrounding buildings were designed by Chicago architects Daniel Burnham, Arnold Brunner, and John Carrere in 1903. Buildings include the Federal Building completed in 1910, followed by the Cuyahoga County Courthouse (1911), the Cleveland City Hall (1916), the Public Auditorium (1922), the main Public Library (1925), the Board of Education administration building (1930), and the Cuyahoga County Administration Bldg. (1957). At the south end, the War Memorial Fountain with a tall symbolic bronze statue by Marshall Fredericks (1964). In the early 1960s, the entire north mall was excavated to create a vast underground convention center connected to the Public Auditorium, and the Hanna fountains were installed on the surface, flanked with trees and plantings.
The latest addition is the Global Center for Health Innovation (2013), combined with a complete renovation of the city’s Convention Center. Demolition of the Cuyahoga County Administration Building will begin soon to make way for a major hotel.
All photographs Copyright (c) 2013, Lauren R. Pacini
Cleveland’s only suspension bridge was built by the Van Sweringen brothers in 1931. It is a 680 feet long pedestrian footbridge, spanning a ravine known as Kingsbury Run, and connecting two ends of Sidaway Avenue – one in the Polish-American neighborhood of Slavic Village, and the other in Garden Valley, an African-American neighborhood.
Sidaway Suspension Bridge Showing Missing Decking
The bridge was vandalized in July 1966, during racial tensions between the two neighborhoods. The deck was set on fire, and the bridge has never been repaired.
