Looking Back: When a Town Landmark Almost Tumbled

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead
Greenwich Time, Greenwich Connecticut USA
Sunday, April 17, 1994

Jeffrey B. Mead, who lives in Greenwich, is a direct descendant of one of the founding families of the town. He is a free-lance writer and member of the Greenwich Historical Society. 

The Second Congregational Church, Greenwich. October 12, 2014. 

A consulting engineer from New York, Daniel E. Moran, had some bad news for the Second Congregational Church in 1916. 

"The entire tower structure is in a dangerous condition and immediate steps should be taken for its removal or repair."

The great stone edifice was built in 1856 a cost of about $30,000. Designed by New York-based architect Leopold Eidlitz, whose designs include Trinity Church in lower Manhattan, it is the tallest structure in town

The spire is visible from many vantage points on land and from the placid waters of Long Island Sound.

It initially was believed that the spire could be preserved by adding reinforcement inside the tower. With the appointment of a Spire Committee consisting of 10 members, the church proceeded with erecting a temper scaffold. The firm of C.T. Wills Construction of New York began work in November 1916. It was decided that the spire would be removed down into the belfry level and built anew. The estimated cost was $40,000.

Six months later it was decided that the entire steeple would have to be removed to ground level and rebuilt. The new estimate was placed at $65,000. A deeper and solid base would replace the original. All stones were marked, numbered and listed on the diagram. Any stones found it to be cracked replaced with other stones similar to the originals.

Why did the spire deteriorate? The type of mortar used to bind the stones consisted of a lime and sand mixture. It was unable to withstand the seasonal changes for which New England is famous; rain, frost, winter's cold and summer's heat caused it to crumble.

In fact, workers on the job reported the condition of the spire to be worse than originally thought, some believing that the spire would have fallen anytime.

Portland cement was used in the reconstruction.

During the restoration, a blue bottle was discovered embedded in the old masonry on the belfry level near the clock. Though damp and partially decayed, a piece of paper inside was discovered listing the names of bricklayers, masons and laborers hired for repair work in 1899. A card said, "Geo. P. Phillips, with Smith and Addis, Bridgeport, Conn."

This is the view of the steeple from Island Beach, about three miles away. Photo: July, 2008.

The Second Congregational Church spire was missed by many residents. Captains and mates on schooners, sailboats on Long Island Sound and oystermen complained of losing their bearings; they all depended on the spire as a navigational marker.

The year 1918 marked both the conclusion of World War I and the completed restoration of the church spire. The updated estimate of the project stood at $75,000 -more than twice the cost of erecting the church artifice in 1856. The nephew of the church architect, Austrian-born Leopold Eidlitz, participated in the rejuvenation of the spire as well.

On the evening of Good Friday a great windstorm tore through the Greenwich area. Scaffolds where the spire once stood collapsed like a house of cards, toppling into the adjacent cemetery and damaging some of the monuments.

Noteworthy was the fact that accurate dimensions of the spire were never recorded. Many believed the capstone measured 8 feet in diameter and weighed 6 tons -it was discovered to be only 3 feet and weighing 800 pounds.

Likewise, the weathervane was a topic of curiosity. The vein measures 6 feet, 6 inches in length and was reportedly made of brass. It turns on and iron rod about 18 inches above the apex of the spire.

The bell that once hung in the spire was stored in a horse shed, which caught fire. The intensity of the heat was such that the bell reportedly glowed red-hot.

This bell was rung on June 19, 1918, calling the town to prayer for Greenwich soldiers in Europe; peace after the carnage of World War I was at hand. But weakened buy fire, the bell broke during the ringing. 

A new one was later donated by Charles N. Mead in memory of six deacon predecessors as a victory and peace bell.

The restored spire was officially dedicated on May 25, 1919. In a brochure published by the church,  the spire was called "an inspiring commemoration of the Great War." Dr. Oliver Huckel,  known in Greenwich as the "Venerable Dean of the Greenwich Clergy," officiated a stirring service, which featured a series of speakers and sketches reenacting key events in church history. Many dignitaries and citizens across Greenwich attended.

George Frederick Hubbard summed up the sentiments of the congregation and the assembled townspeople by stating, "If our view is so extensive, it follows that the spire is visible on land and sea over wide territory whose occupants have welcomed it back with heartfelt gratitude."