Fire-ravaged Fredonia church comes back ‘better than before’

Jul. 13--The 44-foot tall steeple now sitting high atop the historic house of worship in Fredonia is a sign to all that the church that helped define this village streetscape for generations is back -- and better than ever.

Family Church Fredonia, ravaged by fire a year ago, marked a turning point in its rebuilding efforts last week when crews used a crane and two cherry pickers to install the newly fabricated steeple.

"It was a big milestone for us," said Rev. Scott Wise, the church's associate pastor.

"It's certainly not the cherry on top yet," he said, "but I know that it meant a lot to the people around here. It showed them we actually are restoring the building -- and making it better than before."

The congregation hopes to return to their home by the end of August.

The original structure dates back to 1853 as the Fredonia First Baptist Church, which has a storied history that includes members who helped along the Underground Railroad and took part in the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the pastor said.

Its clock tower, too, has long been a centerpiece along Barker Commons, the historic district of this Chautauqua County village. In fact, three different steeples with three different styles preceded the one that burned.

"It's one of the oldest structures in the village and has so much history tied into the area," Rev. Wise said.

The non-denominational Family Church purchased the building from the Baptist congregation in 2015. Family Church had completed $1.3 million in renovations, and was only in the building for a year, before the fire in May 2018.

That's when a rain gutter blew off and hit a power line, causing an electrical arc between the gutter system and ground wire igniting the soffit, Rev. Wise explained.

The fire was contained to the clock tower and attic, but the water and smoke damage permeated throughout the rest of the building, most of which had to be gutted, the pastor said.

The interior work has been ongoing, out of the public eye. The main portion of the tower was completed earlier this year, but it wasn't until last Wednesday that the fiberglass steeple was installed after being constructed by a North Carolina company and trucked in three pieces to the church at 19 Church St.

Parishioners -- about 120 at the Fredonia location -- have been meeting in their former building at 45 Lakeview Ave. until renovations are completed.

"I would say we're about 80 percent complete with renovations," Rev. Wise said. "There's still a little bit more work that needs to be done. We're thinking by the end of August we'll be back in."

One of the finishing touches will be installing the clock. That's expected by the end of this month.

Much of the cost of rebuilding was paid for through insurance, but the church has invested another $300,000 for additional improvements and is still fundraising to help offset those costs.

"For us, it's a big honor to be able to usher this building into the next generation," Rev. Wise said. "Before we had a great building and now we're going to have a magnificent building."

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