Former St. Mary’s Church Can’t Be Saved: Tornado Damage too Severe

Sad news for those hoping the iconic church that stood on Liberty Street in Rome could be saved after an EF-2 tornado ravaged the building.

The owners confirmed the historic structure, which had stood since 1872, is too far gone and will be demolished.

The tornado on July 16 produced winds up to 135 miles per hour, a hair below an official EF-3 rating, and was powerful enough to level and tear roofs off buildings, smash trees, and twist the metal of billboard signs into knots.

The tornado ripped the church's steeple off the building and sent it shattering it into the roof below, causing the structure to become unstable.

You can see how tremendous the damage was with these drone-captured photos.

The building was later deemed among the 82 "uninhabitable and unsound" structures.

Read More: Tornado Renders 82 Buildings in Rome Uninhabitable 

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente teamed with Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan on July 23 to ask Governor Kathy Hochul to help procure funds needed to clear the unstable structures.

Picente estimated it would cost the city $25 million in "demolition costs alone."

Devastated buildings that remain and are beyond repair will continue to degrade, ruining neighborhoods and creating unsafe environments for residents, while decreasing surrounding property value.  It is our number one long-term priority.

Governor Hochul was able to free up some of the funds and sent $4 million to the City of Rome to begin demolition work.

It seems some of that money is heading toward the former St. Mary's Church, which is among the buildings that sustained the most severe damage.

Kabari Wellness Institute general manager Kimberly Smith confirmed the building will be brought down to the Daily Sentinel. The Institute had purchased the building in 2022.

"It would be too much to try to save it, unfortunately," she told the outlet, estimating repair costs would be somewhere "in the millions."  According to Smith, there "wasn't much left" to the building, but the company will try to "save what we can."

One thing that was rescued was the cross that had been on the steeple, she said. The artifact was given to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse.

Crews are also looking into extracting the stained glass windows.

A bid for the demolition work will be put out by the Rome Board of Estimate and Contract sometime this week.

It's terrible that Rome is losing such an important piece of their history because of a situation beyond its control.

For those hoping to get one final look at the church will have to do so from a safe distance. Because the building structure is unstable, the immediate area around it is closed to the public due to safety concerns.

Look through the gallery below that details the extent of the tornado damage the city suffered.

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