It was a sad sight as crews dismantled what was left of Engaging Heaven Church on Saturday.
"This was more than a building. This was a community, and that is harsh," said Rebecca Morea, of Waterford.
Morea says her heart goes out to those who belonged to the historic church on State Street.
The steeple came crashing to the ground on Thursday. No one hurt. A day later, city leaders determined the whole church had to be demolished.
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"To see it fall down like that, it's scary. You wonder what the other churches are like," said Thomas Grimes, of Groton.
Grimes says the church had been around his whole life. According to the mayor, it was the city's first congregation.
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"It's sad. The skyline has changed forever. It's a big moment right here. A sad moment," said Mayor Michael Passero, (D) New London.
As crews knocked down the crumbling structure, families came by to watch and take pictures.
"I came out here with a camera because it was an astounding thing to happen. I was just so surprised. It's just such a historic church, and I wanted to capture the moment," said Angus Foley.
Those we spoke to say they're sad to say goodbye to this iconic landmark, but Mayor Passero says the silver lining in all this is seeing the community come together to process this troubling event.
"It's the way the community and other faith communities have pulled together to help the engaging heaven congregation," said Passero.
