BOYLE HEIGHTS : St. Mary’s Awaits Damage Report

The school hall is not nearly as beautiful as the historic St. Mary’s Catholic Church, but for now it will do as temporary quarters for services until repairs can be made to the church after the Jan. 17 earthquake.

Father Avelino Lorenzo was awaiting a report last week from an engineer who inspected the church, which was built in 1926 and is one of the city’s oldest.

The church reopened in October, 1989, after undergoing $1 million in repairs and earthquake reinforcement after the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake.

With its Roman columns and tall steeple, the church has been identified in a state survey as a building that would qualify for the National Register of Historic Places, said Barbara Hoff, director of preservation issues for the Los Angeles Conservancy.

“It’s a jewel,” said Marta Avitia, a parishioner for 26 years.

“It feels terrible, like a part of you is gone,” said church secretary Lupe Perez, who attended St. Mary’s Elementary School and grew up down the street.

“You want to save it. This is where the family, not the immediate family, but the family of community and the church, really comes together to meet and worship and mingle.

“It’s really sad because it’s your father’s house.”

Since the move to the school hall, which is smaller and used for community meetings, attendance at Masses has dropped at the church at 407 S. Chicago St., Lorenzo said.

“We can’t use it because of the tower,” Lorenzo said.

“The inspectors from the city thought it was too dangerous. The plaster inside is loose and if another earthquake happens, that could fall.”

The walls look terrible, Perez said, especially the back wall, where large pieces of plaster fell and damaged the organ. Statues were turned around, but not damaged, he said.

“I think the big question is: What can we do now?” Perez said.

After assessing the engineer’s report, Lorenzo will name a committee from the church’s 1,500 parishioners in the next few weeks to raise money for repairs.

“This church means a lot in the community,” he said. “It has a history and flavor not found elsewhere.”