After much consideration, Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church leaders began demolishing their building a few weeks ago.
In May, the tornado ripped off its roof, tore off some sides of the building and blew out the windows of the church in the Greater Ville neighborhood. The damage would have cost the church about $15 million to repair, but its insurance policy only covered about $4 million worth of damage.
The congregation relocated in May to First Presbyterian Church in Ferguson. Cote Brilliante’s pastor, Douglass Petty, has been talking to the members about demolishing the church since they moved to help prepare the congregants for the loss.
Cote Brilliante will always be an integral part of the community, but change is inevitable, Petty said.
“At this point, you can always reference historically what took place at the church,” he said. “But then at the same time it's knowing that that role does not exist right now and there's a lot of nostalgia associated with it.”
Leaders decided in September that the church had to come down. Petty said he was concerned for the neighborhood, as prolonging the demolition would continue to expose the community to more asbestos and lead that were growing inside the church because of the damage. Members were sad, but Petty said they finally came to the realization that the building and its contents were not salvageable.
“Those things can be replaced, and the reason why I say that is the insurance also deals with internal furnishing,” Petty said.
Petty began a grief support group on Wednesdays to help church members move forward from the devastating loss of the church, its community and area homes. He wanted the church members to express themselves and give feedback in the process.
Cote Brilliante’s founding pastor, the Rev. William Gillespie, transformed the formerly abandoned church into a blossoming place of worship starting in 1957. Members said the neighborhood thrived because of the church, as did the community.
Jackie DuPree’s family was one of the first few families to join the church. They attended it because they were tired of having to catch rides to a church farther away. Cote Brilliante was within walking distance of DuPree’s childhood home on Northland Avenue.
“Reverend Gillespie came into the neighborhood to recruit members for his church … and that was the right opportunity to go somewhere in the neighborhood,” she said.
DuPree said the church was always family-oriented.
“After work on Fridays, everybody would bring a dish and just sit down and have a little talent show and mingle with the other family members and just have a good time,” she recalls.
She said the church changed her life for the better.
“I was able to get what they called the Rev. Gillespie Scholarship to help those who were unable to pay to get books and help with tuition,” she said. “My son, my niece and my great niece were able to get scholarships.”
DuPree, who is still a member of Cote Brilliante, hopes the church continues to provide scholarships and other services to build up both Ferguson and north St. Louis communities now that the building is gone. She wants to see a park or recreation space in the lot to help the community continue to grow.
Although time has passed, she said she is still heartbroken that the tornado tore down her place of refuge. When times were rough, she would often sit inside Cote Brilliante’s sanctuary to reflect.
“I've accepted it, so I have to move on. My memories are still there on that corner — the good, the bad and the in between,” DuPree said. “We just have to move on, and I'm happy to be able to take part in being a member of that church.”
Others from the community posted comments online after seeing DuPree’s photos of the demolition, stating that they too had countless childhood memories attached to the church.
“So many good memories: the children’s choir, vacation Bible school, family nights, candlelight services, Girl Scouts, picnics, Mrs. Lee on the organ, communion,” Felicia Shaw recalled on Facebook. “Everything about my early life was connected to this church. My heart aches.”
The demolition is almost complete. Workers must continue removing debris from the grounds, and the demolition must pass city inspections. Church leaders say the demolition company should complete the entire process by the end of November.
Church leaders are still weighing final plans for the church’s lot. To try to bring comfort to the area, Petty said the church plans to host a closing prayer ceremony for its members and the community in the coming weeks.
