church; one, the outline of a chancel window in the rear, which to comply with fire regulations, was covered with sheet iron to simulate bricks. Then, too, the beams' on the ceiling of Tourraine Hall, with their trefoil design, were in the old church,' a design which was carried out in the last pews there. These were torn out, and used in the construction of the hall, when it was first remodelled.
On December 19, 1924 Tourraine Hall was destroyed by a most spectacular fire which broke out abut six o'clock in the afternoon, and raged for over three hours. Thousands witnessed the hazardous efforts of the firemen to subdue the flames; a fireman was taken to a hospital suffering from injuries received from a fall; another man — a tenant — was seriously burned. It is interesting that in this' building, at one period known as Evangelist Hall, a woman named Mrs. Evangeliste with heroic disregard of her own safety refused to leave until she had called or sounded warning to all the other tenants. She and her daughter and a Mrs. Herbert were with difficulty rescued by firemen from the flame-enveloped upper floors.
The building had become the property of Andrea Romano, a banker and steamship agent who estimated his loss at about $300,000. A modern business block now stands on the site.
So it came about that two of Springfield's historic fires, each in its own way, removed the last reminder of a one-time beloved house of worship of the Episcopalians.
Now, in 1822, Jonathan Dwight, 2d, opened through his property a new road, later called Chestnut Street. He built the first house on this road (1824) for his daughter, Mrs. George Bliss. This historic house, and the land on which it stood was purchased by Christ Church Parish as the site for their new building.
Church architecture had undergone a happy change since the building of the, beloved Christ Church on State Street, although it is unquestionably true that if Christ Church were rebuilt today the change would be even more pronounced. Let us again allow the columns of the "Republican" to bring before us the
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