Landmark Church Destroyed

[Towntalk]

Due to shrinking membership this church which was Foster Memorial Presbyterian Church moved their members to Pleasent Grove Presbyterian Church on East Midlothian Blvd. in 1995 based on information provided by the Pleasent Grove Presbyterian Church web site.

[Rick Rowlands]

Well of course it was.  Abandoned buildings just don't magically catch on fire in below freezing weather.

[PD]

I am hearing it was Arson!!

[Towntalk]

That is the 64 dollar question.
The city is going to demolish what's left of this building, but is there any record of who owned it? Surely there is some kind of record, and that person or persons should be forced to pay for the cost of demolishing it.

[Rick Rowlands]

So how does a fire start in an abandoned building?  Not by itself!

[Towntalk]

A large beautiful landmark South Side church destroyed by fire.
A former Presberterian Church that was purchased by a Church Of God In Christ group, then abandoned was destroyed by fire.
http://wkbn.com/2015/02/28/fire-guts-youngstown-church/
In a Google satallite photo of the church taken in 2011 shows that a large portion of the roof had a plastic covering that indicate that even then there were serious structural problems with the building, and it also begs the question of the ability of the Church Of God In Christ congregation to upkeep a building as large as this.