Page 122 - Demo

120Official authorization to photograph was granted a few weeks later. As I moved my camera around the once-hallowed space, I could imagine a full-house of 1,200 men, women, and children listening to the minister, choir, and organ. But not today nor, perhaps, ever again. The quiet was completely out-of-character for such a beautiful room built for families to come together in reverence and praise. It%u2019s such a clich%u00e9 to say %u201cthe silence was deafening%u201d%u2014but it was.This was an absolutely amazing place but, of course, I also noticed the rotting wood, spalling bricks, deteriorating plaster, broken windows, and leaking roof. Simply put, the old building looked like its best days had come%u2014and gone. It would truly take a miraculous amount of time, money, and energy to fully resurrect it to its former glory.At a time when many new churches look like metalclad industrial warehouses, I felt a deep regret at the likely abandonment of such a unique building. Perhaps someone, or some group, with vision and determination, will restore it for meetings, receptions, weddings, performances, or even church services. Or, transform the space into apartments, condos, or offices. More likely, it will, ever so slowly, continue to deteriorate, until the cost of basic stabilization becomes prohibitive. Since my visit, The Old Centrum Foundation has withered, the building has been mothballed, and part of the domed ceiling has collapsed.Balcony, Central Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, 1892%u2014Indianapolis, Marion Co. (899.10)