St. Mark's Episcopal Church
This historic church was located on Main Street, downtown West Orange NJ. Built in 1828, it is one of the most historic buildings in the area. It was founded as an offshoot of Trinity Parish in Newark NJ. The building later saw an addition of the steeple in the years if 1860 and 1861. The church ran the first elementary school and the first high school in West Orange. The elementary school building was destroyed by a fire in 1926 and the high school building was destroyed by a fire in 1913. The main church building was described as representing the "beginning and end of the ecclesiological style in the United States". It was added to the Nation Register of Historic Places in 1977.
In 2011, the cross on top of the building was destroyed by the minor earthquake felt across the Northeast. The cost of maintaining the building became too high and the building began to fall into disrepair by 2004. The diocese sold the church to various other religious groups who never stayed long term due to the high cost of maintaining the building. On January 1, 2016, the church sustained devastating damage by a fire that was burning for three hours. As of January of 2017, work has begun to fully restore the church to its former glory.
Read MoreIn 2011, the cross on top of the building was destroyed by the minor earthquake felt across the Northeast. The cost of maintaining the building became too high and the building began to fall into disrepair by 2004. The diocese sold the church to various other religious groups who never stayed long term due to the high cost of maintaining the building. On January 1, 2016, the church sustained devastating damage by a fire that was burning for three hours. As of January of 2017, work has begun to fully restore the church to its former glory.
