Metropolitan AME Demolition Timelapse

Demolition of the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church at the corner of 20th and Fitzwater Streets in Philadelphia began on February 15th. Two days in, I went over and took some timelapse shots from a number of different vantage points. The final video shows the demolition activity over the course of about 2 hours.

The church was originally built in 1861, and housed the Southwestern Presbyterian church until it was purchased by the Metropolitan A.M.E. group in 1954. Despite being on the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia's list of Black Historic Sites, the building is being demolished to allow for the construction of six new townhouses. Regrettably, it seems that very little effort was made to salvage some of the building's historic details. While it was a fairly plain building, there were some nice brackets, pressed tin ceilings and moldings, and other details that were visible when I was there.

Music: Arcade Fire, Neighborhood #1(Tunnels)