Demolition of one of the oldest places of worship on Fort Myers Beach, the Chapel by the Sea, damaged by Hurricane Ian beyond repair, has begun.
Hurricane Ian brought in 11 feet of storm surge into the church and destroyed everything in its path. The surge washed through the sanctuary and the fellowship hall, known as Silver Hall, and the connecting patio.
“The Gulf side was wood frame construction and it shredded, pulverized, all that then used that as a battering ram and smashed through our facilities and went on through Silver Hall and took out all the windows. The walls remained in there, they were concrete block, but all the windows went out and everything's destroyed in there as well,” Interim Pastor Reverend Dr. James “Jim” Berger said in the months after the storm ravaged the church.
Three grand pianos were washed away, sections of the roof were damaged, and the surge that went under the sanctuary came up through the floors and blew the floor out. Every bible, hymnal, chair, and pulpits was washed away, along with a newly purchased audio and visual equipment to livestream the services.
The church's original bell was found in the rubble, as well as half of a clamshell that they use in baptisms. A memorial garden is beside the church and the plaques of those interred there were salvageable.
Hurricane Ian’s destruction also caused the congregation — with an average age of 82 — to disperse, and some now reside in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Canada and other parts of Florida.
Many members lived on the beach and lost their homes or live in condos that are now uninhabitable.
Additionally, Chapel by the Sea fed the homeless community on the beach year around prior to Ian. They provided showers, restrooms, clothes, a hot breakfast, and a meal to take with them to-go.
Church officials haven't yet decided about rebuilding the church.
Wednesday morning heavy equipment from by Extreme Demolition & Land Clearing rolled up, and the job of removing the still standing shell of the chapel got underway.
Earlier in December, Wildcat Renovation put their skills to use in dismantling the renowned stained-glass windows.
About the Chapel by the Sea
- First met at a pavilion at the Red Coconut Park, then in various homes, on boats and even in a casino until constructing the island’s first church building in 1938.
- Initiated by Presbyterians in 1932.
- First met at a pavilion at the Red Coconut Park, then in various homes, on boats and even in a casino until constructing the island’s first church building in 1938.
- All but three windows in our present sanctuary came from the original Chapel by the Sea: the Dolphin Trinity Window and the Kings Crown were designed specifically for the 1985 Sanctuary.
- The pipe organ was added in 1994, but only after great difficulty. After writing a check to the Moller Organ Company, that company declared bankruptcy. Investors tried to revive that company, which had made organs for Camp David, the Air Force Academy Chapel, and many of the nation’s largest churches. They were able to construct only a few organs before they finally closed shop forever. Chapel has one of the last two Moller Organs ever made.
- In 2005, Chapel by the Sea suffered over $1.5 million dollars in damage from Hurricane Charley. The original Dolphin Trinity window was destroyed. The center of the window, showing a ship with a cross shaped mast, miraculously survived and had been placed in a shadow box behind the ship-like pulpit.
- In 2010, while the nation and our community suffered through a difficult economy, church members and friends rallied to save Chapel by the Sea. With its foundations having eroded as a result of age and the floods of Hurricane Charley, the chapel was within months of seeing the sanctuary collapse. The Chapel’s foundation was eventually restored.
- Started the community’s Easter Sunrise Service on the Beach in 1939.
- Helped start the sister churches on our island. Hired a Roman Catholic priest to come to serve Catholic Mass beginning in 1945 and continuing until the Catholic Church of the Ascension was organized in the 1950s.
- The church bell was rescued from the scrap yard during World War II. What would have been used to make bullets became used to announce worship services on the island. It was installed in the bell tower by soldiers from Page Field in 1942, and had been on display in the narthex of the sanctuary.
- Served as the community’s first movie theater in 1942.
- Started the island’s first Vacation Bible School in 1939.
- The original sanctuary was given away. In preparation to build a larger sanctuary in 1985, the original worship facility was donated to a sister church in Fort Myers.
- The stained glass windows of the Chapel were made by a craftsman in Stone Mountain, Georgia, who wished to honor his mother, who was a member of our church. One of the windows was declined, as it showed a whale and whales are not found in our local Gulf waters. That window was placed in a private home on Bay Street of Fort Myers Beach.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you. FGCU Journalism Program student Haley Lemery contributed to this report.