Sanctuary topples in name of progress

The building makes way for a parking lot, a key part of the county's renovation of downtown Palm Harbor.

By ROBERT FARLEY

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 12, 2000

PALM HARBOR -- Jo An Totty groaned each time the giant claws ripped into the church's roof, tearing away wooden beams and shingles.

On Wednesday morning, a demolition crew reduced the former sanctuary of Palm Harbor United Methodist Church to rubble to make way for a downtown parking lot.

"This is Old Palm Harbor," Totty said, tears streaming down her face. "It's sad. And I'm a Catholic."

The church, at Michigan Avenue and 11th Street, abandoned the sanctuary five years ago after it built a larger building on 21st Street just north of Nebraska Avenue. The old property was sold to the county in January.

The demolition drew a small crowd of onlookers. Alice Walter watched from her driveway across the street and dabbed tears. "I can remember how happy we were when it was built," Mrs. Walter said.

As excavators tore away at the building, Mrs. Walter reminisced about making quilts and other social activities in the church building.

"It breaks my heart," Mrs. Walter said. "We had a lot of good times in there."

Although the county plans to restore the historic White Chapel at the corner of 12th Street and Georgia Avenue, the brick sanctuary built in 1971 was sacrificed in order to build an 84-space parking lot. The lot is a critical part of the county's plan to renovate downtown Palm Harbor.

Although the demolition might sadden some longtime members, said the Rev. Stephen King, senior pastor of the church, many take solace that at least the White Chapel will be spared.

"The sanctuary, while certainly important and a wonderful place to worship, probably didn't have the emotional ties the White Chapel did," King said. "The White Chapel was the start of it all."

And some of the nostalgia and sadness have softened, he said, because five years has passed since the move.

"That was just one step along the way," King said of the sanctuary.

The church simply outgrew the building, he said. The congregation now includes more than 2,200 members.

The county interest in the property and its commitment to renovate the White Chapel were blessings, King said.

John Kiker, a 20-year member of the church, remembers the procession of several hundred people from the old church to the new one five years ago. It was an emotional event, he said.

It's a comfort that church members will still be able to use the White Chapel for special events, such as baptisms, weddings and funerals, he said.

The fate of the activities building on the property will be decided this month. Although initially slated for demolition as well, many residents rallied to save it as a community center.

Totty carefully watched the demolition of the sanctuary Wednesday, anxiously awaiting the fate of the steeple and the cross atop it. She had long ago asked for the cross to use in the annual Palm Harbor Easter Sunrise Passion Play, held at Florida Avenue and Omaha Street.

Robert A. Inman, operating the hydraulic excavator for the demolition contractor, E.L. Trevena Inc. of Largo, collected debris in a pile to create a bed to cushion the fall of the steeple. It fell to the ground intact.

"Thank you so much," Totty told him.

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