Following the Christmas Eve fire, the city demolishes a historic downtown structure.
A landmark downtown wedding venue is being dismantled following a disastrous fire on Christmas Eve.
According to the Indianapolis Fire Department, crews were summoned to the structure at 701 N. Pennsylvania St. around 5:40 a.m. after receiving multiple 911 calls.
Several streets surrounding Pennsylvania and Walnut Streets were closed while firefighters worked on the fire.
IFD reported that the building’s roof had completely collapsed. The building was uninhabited, and there were no injuries. The department stated that getting water pressure inside the building was their main concern.
The building was constructed in 1875 and served as a church before becoming the Sanctuary at Penn, which is currently a wedding venue.
Christan Gestaldo married inside the old church in 2023.
“The memories, I can’t sit down for a long enough interview to walk you through them all,” Gestaldo told the reporter. “All of our friends and family gathered around us while my wife and I danced. It was a very meaningful event for us and many of our friends and family. I’ll always cherish those memories, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to visit the venue while it was still open.”
Mariah Handlon was the venue’s photographer. She grieved as she watched the structure that had fuelled her career collapse.
“It’s pretty devastating,” Handlon explained. “I’m just thinking about all I’ve experienced here. Going forward, everything will be different, and not having (the facility) will be really difficult.”
The building was dismantled shortly after noon on Tuesday because of its shaky condition. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
