Century old tree cut down
Published 12:00 am Monday, March 15, 2004
Polk Van Zandt, rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, shook his head as he spoke sorrowfully of the necessary removal of a large oak tree on the northeast corner of Lauderdale Street and Selma Avenue where the present building has stood for more than 100 years. City workmen on the scene said that the tree was a least 100 years old.
Nearby, renovations at
St. Paul’s are underway in the open area in front of the arcade facing Lauderdale that joins the sanctuary and the church’s parish house.
The casual passerby might suspect that the tree removal and the renovations were somehow related, but Van Zandt assured that they were not.
The tree in question had been pruned several times in the past, and it was slowly dying.
The tree was thought by church and city to present a real danger to the church building or pedestrians or vehicles, especially if a high wind were to come through.
So the decision was made – reluctantly – to take down the tree, which is on city right of way.
Van Zandt said that the church hopes that a replacement tree can be planted in that spot.
In the mean time, the church’s renovations proceed.
An artist’s rendering of the finished project is on an easel just inside the smaller door facing Lauderdale that leads into the church’s sanctuary.
It shows the construction of a columbarium, where the
ashes of deceased
may be placed in niches &045; an enclosure on the southern side of the sanctuary building. The area in front of the arcade joining the two buildings will be paved, and will be a place, according to Van Zandt, where worshippers and those attending other church functions will be able to gather out of doors. Also, a new door is being cut into the wall of the parish house, giving access from the courtyard.
Van Zandt is very pleased with progress on the project, noting that weather has slowed it down somewhat.