The Shrine of Christ the King will be likely be demolished after the Archdiocese of Chicago filed for permits to tear down the burned shrine. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks on Thursday is scheduled to consider whether to issue the demolition permits for the shrine at 6401 S. Woodlawn Ave. that suffered severe fire damage in October after an oily rag spontaneously combusted. A representative from the Archdiocese was not immediately available to comment. The congregation has been raising money to rebuild the church since the fire and as of Tuesday had raised more than $63,000. In a message on the shrine’s fundraising page, Rev. Matthew Talarico, the shrine’s canon, said the Archdiocese’s insurance will not cover the damages. The Institute of Christ the King only insured the contents of the shrine, which it rented from the Archdiocese, under the expectation that the Archdiocese insured the building. Talarico said that a letter from the Archdiocese says the engineering evaluations found the buildings has significant structural issues and repairing the shrine was “cost prohibitive.”
Photo: Shrine of Christ the King / DNAInfo
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