ST. COLUMBA CATHEDRAL LIES IN RUIN – Fire destroyed St. Columba Cathedral on Sept. 2, 1954 when a bolt of lightning struck the church during a late evening storm. According to news accounts of the day, firefighters first responding found the blaze well under way with fire outlining the cathedral’s main rose window. Eleven fire companies ultimately responded to the three-alarm blaze. Diocesan officials at the time estimated the blaze to have caused $1.25 million in damage. The new St. Columba Cathedral opened in 1958. (From a photo layout published in the January 2007 print edition of Metro Monthly.) Photos courtesy of Historic Images. For reprints, call 1-330-550-5503.
© 2012 The Metro Monthly and Historic Images. All rights reserved.
Leave a Reply