The former St. Louis Catholic Church has been vacant since the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse closed it in December 2000.
The former St. Louis Catholic Church collapsed Sunday in Oswego, NY, prompting officials to shut down part of Route 104 and end Harborfest early.Oswego, NY -- A former Catholic church collapsed this afternoon in Oswego, closing down a major artery and forcing an early end to Harborfest activities in East Park, police said.
No injuries were reported at 4:56 p.m. after the former St. Louis' church crumbled into state Route 104 at East Fourth Street, said Capt. Tory DeCaire. The church was closed in 2000, according to Post-Standard archives.
"The entire middle of it fell through," DeCaire said. "Right now, we're still trying to determine its structural integrity."
Evan Clark, 15, who lives on nearby Mohawk Street, said he rushed to the scene with a camera moments after it happened.
"Everything was just falling in," he said. His mother, who heard the collapse, said it sounded like pipes banging together.
A Harborfest food vendor had to move his cart after debris landed nearby, Clark said. When police arrived, the crowd was pushed back from the scene.
He said many of the church's windows were broken and the building was in disrepair.
The collapse forced traffic crossing the Oswego River to use Utica Street. State Route 104 will be closed indefinitely to vehicles and pedestrians, DeCaire said.
East Park played host to the Jazz & Blues stage. The last act of the weekend, Chocolate Thunder, began its performance at 3 p.m., according to the Harborfest schedule.
The church was founded May 1, 1870 by French-speaking parishioners from St. Mary's Church, in Oswego.
St. Louis' closed due to dwindling membership on Dec. 31, 2000. After several years of neglect, the Catholic Diocese of Syracuse tried to sell the building in 2006. A preservationist who toured the building in 2007 noted structural problems, including water damage.
"The internal gutter system is leaking and clogged and the water damage can be seen from the inside and the outside of the building," Murray Gould, who restores old buildings, told The Post-Standard in November 2007. "The floors are buckling and damage from mold is getting worse. This is a classic case of what people in the restoration field would call "demolition by neglect."
Gould wasn't the only one to notice the damage. Mary Vanouse, Oswego's director of community development, said that water damage was visible at all levels, including the basement.