By Ivan Pereira
Close−knit members associated with a 102−year−old Maspeth church grieved over its loss as they salvaged what was left of their historic house of worship after it was seriously damaged in a fire Tuesday.
The two−alarm blaze began in the basement of the Maspeth United Methodist Church on 58th Avenue around 4:30 a.m. and spread quickly to the roof of the building, the FDNY said. It took firefighters nearly four hours to put out the fire, but the flames destroyed the roof, most of the interior and the centerpiece stained glass window.
“To wake up and see something like this, I’m numb,” said Patricia Furrell, who is on the church’s board of directors.
The city Office of Emergency Management issued an order that what was left of the church had to be torn down because of structural issues. After a long debate with city officials, parishioners were allowed to enter what was left of the building in the afternoon and retrieve a cross, candleholders and other materials, according to Rev. Avelio DeLeom, the pastor of the church.
Nine firefighters were treated for minor injuries, according to the Fire Department. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.
Representatives for the OEM did not comment about the situation. City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D−Middle Village), who went to the site of the fire, said she was working with the city to salvage other undamaged materials from inside the church.
“I have urged officials responsible for the building’s demolition to recover a few precious artifacts that are as old as the church before they tear the place down, and I am hopeful they will be able to do so,” she said in a statement.
DeLeom, who lives next door to the building with his family, was not injured. The pastor, who has been at the church for 14 years, said the fire was particularly tragic for him because he is set to end his service as a minister.
“It’s sad moment because I am going retire at the end of June,” he said.
The church building opened in 1907 after Gustave Haflinger sold his land to the United Methodist Church. Haflinger helped fund the centerpiece stained glass window in memory of his 14−year−old son, Harrison, who died in 1903.
The window was very special for the Haflinger family because it depicted the Biblical passage in which a 12−year−old Jesus met with rabbis in the Jewish temple, according to Furrell.
“He donated the window to show his love for his son, who was that age when he died,” she explained.
The window brought inspiration to the congregation every Sunday, according to lifelong congregant Stephen G. Shklanko, who was married in the church and had his two sons baptized there.
“When the sun hit it every morning, it would light up the stained glass window. It was beautiful,” the 49−year−old said.
Community members who did not worship at the church said the house of worship was an important building in the neighborhood. For decades, the Methodists would allow community groups, such as the Girl Scouts and Alcoholics Anonymous, to use their space for events.
Mary Anne Walter, who runs a local Girl Scout troop, said she had held an art auction in the church with her Scouts over the weekend.
“It’s a very community−minded place,” she said. “They always went out of their way to help.”
Jeremy Walsh contributed to this article.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e−mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 146.
