Flooding and decades of decay may close the doors on a century-old Downtown Pittsburgh church. The congregation — perhaps already mourning the closure — was recently forced out of their sanctuary and into a funeral home for worship services.
Smithfield United Church of Christ, designated as a landmark by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, is a Gothic-style blocky structure with a steel frame wrapped in stone. The church sanctuary is lined with large stained-glass windows that depict the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as the history of Pittsburgh. As Rev. Shannon Garrett-Doege puts it, the building is beautiful. But it’s also very old.
“A lot of people love this building,” she said. “It’s beautiful and it’s historic, but it’s also falling apart.” During a recent storm, Garrett-Doege got a call from a church administrator urging her to come and assess the damage.
“I come down and it’s literally raining in his office,” she said…