08 Feb seldom seen richard nickel photos documenting the destruction of burnham and root’s church of the covenant

richard nickel images of burnham and root’s romanesque style church of the covenant (1889) shortly before and during its demolition in 1971 i believe. note the “possessed” doll head photos… cannot recall what the significance was other than a bit of humor. 

vinci, nickel, and david norris managed to salvaged architectural elements, including column capital panels (see image of norris in window), along with four-sided exterior red slip terra cotta heads between the long and narrow arched windows. the church was located at the southeast corner of halstad and belden.

covenant was destroyed by cleveland wrecking. terra cotta face blocks, dentil moldings, and other ornament were sold in their yard for sometime after. the “heads” were selling for 75 bucks a pop.
i don’t want to sound like an alarmist, but i am concerned that the fate of burnham and root’s saint gabriel’s (1887) could very well be in jeopardy, ever since the archdiocese announced a wave of school and church closures. despite being extensively altered on multiple occasions (i.e., 1922, 1940, 1949, and 1954), its considered to be one of root’s finest ecclesiastical works.
it seems unfathomable that saint gabriel could end up going out the way covenant did, but you never know.

exterior:

interior: