St. Vibiana's Saturday Demolition
A wrecking crew, a Saturday morning, and the preservationists away at a conference.
Listen to this place’s story in Peplos.
How the story begins
At about seven on a Saturday morning, June 1, 1996, a crew started taking down the bell tower of this cathedral. They had no demolition permit. Many of the city's preservationists were in San Jose that weekend, at their state conference. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, under Cardinal Roger Mahony, had said the 1994 earthquake left its 1876 cathedral beyond saving, and it wanted a far larger one here.
The rest is in the app. Peplos plays the full story when you reach the place. You can also listen ahead of time.
Visiting
214 South Main Street at Second Street, Downtown. Now a private events venue. See it from the street; the inside is open only for events.
Sources
- Los Angeles Conservancy, Vibiana-Redbird
- California Preservation Foundation newsletter, Summer 1996
- The Planning Report, St. Vibiana's Cathedral contestants, July 1996
- Sacred Architecture, Constructing a New Cathedral
- Wikipedia, Cathedral of Saint Vibiana
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