Once a victim, St. Thomas' Parish rebuilds

From The Washington Post-

Many churches sit next to graveyards; in that way, St. Thomas' Episcopal Parish in Dupont Circle isn't special. But it's not former parishioners that haunt the space, rather the grand Gothic wonder that existed there from 1893 until arson in 1970.

The first alarm came at 3:26 a.m., the next at 3:29, then 3:33. Henry Breul, the priest and former Army ambulance driver in far-flung war zones, raced in his blue ragtop Mustang to be there, to witness it, even if he was helpless. He was joined by 125 firemen and 20 pieces of equipment from 13 engine companies and 6 truck companies, blocking Massachusetts Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets. It smelled like campfire ash, wet hymnals burning so smoky with molten stained glass. By 8 a.m., it was doused. That hot August 24 morning, the building that The Washington Star in 1923 called "one of the most beautiful edifices in the country" was ordered razed. The next day the church paid $50,000 to demolish itself. Only a social hall and part of the sacrificial altar remained; the rest was converted to a private-but-open park in 1974.

Now, 40 years later, St. Thomas' is in the throes of a decision that will change it and its congregation forever: It is rebuilding to accommodate its growing congregation, hoping to raise $5.72 million.

More here-

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/08/once_a_victim_st_thomas_parish_rebuilds.html