{"id":6750,"date":"2016-05-11T00:40:22","date_gmt":"2016-05-11T04:40:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=6750"},"modified":"2016-05-11T00:43:42","modified_gmt":"2016-05-11T04:43:42","slug":"fire-a-hollywood-movie-and-the-loss-of-a-beloved-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2016\/05\/11\/fire-a-hollywood-movie-and-the-loss-of-a-beloved-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire, a Hollywood movie and the loss of a beloved church"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Press <\/a>
Press coverage of the church fire. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Chemist <\/a>
Chemist William Kinard spreads absorbent salt that detects traces of gasoline or kerosene on the church floor. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div>
\"In <\/a>
In some places, the church floor had collapsed. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The fire burned hymnals and Bibles. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Debris <\/a>
Debris is dumped near a church entrance. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Onyx <\/a>
Onyx the accelerant-detecting dog sniffs for clues. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The charred remains of the church sactuary. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"An <\/a>
An ATF agent sweeps the sanctuary floor. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div>
\"ATF <\/a>
ATF agents in the sanctuary. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Investigators <\/a>
Investigators seen through church windows. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"ATF <\/a>
ATF investigators at work. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"ATF <\/a>
ATF investigators at work. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"ATF <\/a>
ATF agent Dan Boeh produces a report on the fire. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"ATF <\/a>
ATF chemist William Kinard takes a break. (Steve Mellon\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\nA movie production crew arrived in Ben Avon in 1991 and suddenly the tiny borough of broad-shouldered trees and turn-of-the-century homes was transformed. A very convincing fake house emerged on Woodland Avenue (the house had no foundation or plumbing and its stairwell went nowhere) and children once again streamed from the front doors of the abandoned Ben Avon Elementary School.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve gotta love Hollywood.<\/p>\n

The crew was filming \u201cLorenzo\u2019s Oil,\u201d a drama starring Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte as parents determined to find a cure for the rare, deadly genetic disease afflicting their young son Lorenzo. Production would cause quite a stir on Ben Avon, but in the midst of all the movie magic, an ugly reality elbowed its way into the script.<\/p>\n

Early on the morning of Oct. 22, fire destroyed a much-loved and stately stone church located across the street from the movie set. A black-and-white picture published in The Pittsburgh Press that day shows the frame\u00a0of a massive stained glass window silhouetted against a wall of white flame. The building was hopelessly engulfed by a blaze that showered a three-block area with red-hot embers.<\/p>\n

For eight decades, the Woodland United Presbyterian Church stood as a cornerstone of Ben Avon. It was a place of weddings, baptisms, public meetings, community theater performances, education and, of course, worship.<\/p>\n

Woodland had merged with nearby Ben Avon Presbyterian Church in 1987, so at the time of the fire few worship services were held there. Still, the church was a busy place, home to church offices, archives, a preschool and a number of community programs. Residents took the loss hard. \u201cIt\u2019s being dealt with like a death in the family,\u201d said an assistant pastor.<\/p>\n

Within days, a team of investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms began sifting and shoveling through the debris. Intense heat had charred every wood surface except the sanctuary floor. The slate roof had collapsed and, in some portions of the church, fallen with enough force to cause the floor below to give way. Pews had disintegrated in place, leaving rows of ashes and scorched planks. Except for the swishing sound of a broom used by an ATF agent to gather ashes, the sanctuary was eerily quiet.<\/p>\n

The ATF determined an arsonist was responsible for the inferno that destroyed a beloved structure as well as decades of records reflecting the spiritual life of the community. Who started the fire? The question remains unanswered. No arrests were made.<\/p>\n

Elements of the church can still be found in the community. Woodland\u2019s bell, cornerstone and four stone windows were incorporated into an addition to the merged church, Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon.<\/p>\n

How did the Hollywood folks react? Well, despite the loss of a structure that loomed so prominently in a handful of scenes, filming\u00a0of Lorenzo\u2019s Oil continued on schedule. Producers did make one adjustment — three weeks later they filmed firefighters battling a recreation of the church blaze so a scene could be written into the script explaining changes in the church\u2019s appearance.<\/p>\n

Of course, you can watch\u00a0Lorenzo\u2019s Oil if you’re interested in seeing the Woodland Church as it was in its final days. It\u2019s there in one of the movie\u2019s early scenes, as the son Lorenzo arrives home from school and is greeted by his beaming mother. The characters have no idea disease and disaster await. The church\u2019s red door and high peaked roof provide a perfect backdrop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A spectacular blaze destroys Woodland Church in the midst of filming for the movie “Lorenzo’s Oil.”<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesFire, a Hollywood movie and the loss of a beloved church<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[948],"tags":[980,1244,1046,1048],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/DigsWoodland026.jpg?fit=4341%2C2890&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1401,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/09\/13\/the-pittsburgh-views-of-john-c-bragdon\/","url_meta":{"origin":6750,"position":0},"title":"The Pittsburgh views of John C. 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