Video pays tribute to St. Mark's Church in West Orange, which caught fire New Year's Day.
WEST ORANGE -- When a 200-year-old church burned down on New Year's Day, a New Jersey town lost more than an iconic building. When St. Mark's Church on Main Street burned for hours on Jan. 1, township historian Joseph Fagan said West Orange lost a bit of its character, and one of the last remaining pieces of its history.
Fagan called a video tribute he compiled in memory of the structure, which was built in 1827, a "funeral for a friend."
"It was a tremendous loss to the West Orange community," Fagan said. "I just felt compelled, I had to do something," he said of making the video highlighting the building's past.
Fire rips through historic West Orange church
The church was originally one of three historic structures in a row at the entrance to West Orange, Fagan said. It stood next to a train station constructed in 1881, and the historic "Conditt House," built in 1812. It was the last remaining historic structure in the area. The train station fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1965 after being abandoned and neglected for many years, and the then-empty Conditt House was knocked down in 1989, he said. Both lots remain vacant now, he said.
The last remaining building, which had operated as St. Mark's Episcopal Church until it closed in 2004, burned on New Year's Day. West Orange spokeswoman Susan Anderson said Thursday that the fire has been ruled accidental, but that investigators are still working to determine what caused it.
According to Fagan, after being rented to several other religious groups, the church was sold about nine months ago to the International Federation of Chaplains. The group could not be reached for comment. It was one of many religious buildings that have been sold by the Episcopal Church in recent years.
Though the history of the building is rich, town officials said its future remains unknown. According to Fagan, though there is a lot of support in town to restore the building, the cost to do so would be in the millions of dollars. The building, he said, has been deemed unsafe, but not yet marked for demolition.
"There is a safety concern. There is a historical concern. There is a feasibility concern," Fagan said of what may become of the structure now.
"It remains to be seen."
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
