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When the Northridge Earthquake struck Los Angeles in February 1994, First Church was one of its victims. The four distinctive tower spires were damaged and had to be removed. Deacon Thomas Hunter Russell, long time member of First Church and Assistant Organist at the time, rushed down to First Church to inspect for any damage and discovered that our finials were hanging at strange angles. Further investigation discovered them to be a threat to the building and especially to the Great Organs of the church, which were then being restructured and enlarged. He was able to obtain two oversized cranes to stablize the finials and ultimately have them brought down from the roof of the church. They were then taken to Inglewood Cemetery for storage, where they remained until a generous gift from the estate of Dr. Aura Lee Pittenger allowed First Church to restore the towers to their former splendor. The original finials were now too heavy for the tower and so were replaced with lighter weight versions. Under the direction of Trustee Don Battjes, our former finials were brought back to the church and now sit as sentinels at the gates of our parking lots. Had Mr. Russell not acted as speedily as he did, these finials could have come crashing down through the rear balcony organs and by sheer weight alone, would have continued and imbedded themselves in the sub-basements of the church at a cost of millions of dollars more in damages. The following photographs show the installation of the old finials into their new resting place.

THE RESTORATION OF OUR FINIALS AFTER THE NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE
When the Northridge Earthquake struck Los Angeles in February 1994, First Church was one of its victims. The four distinctive tower spires were damaged and had to be removed. Deacon Thomas Hunter Russell, long time member of First Church and Assistant Organist at the time, rushed down to First Church to inspect for any damage and discovered that our finials were hanging at strange angles. Further investigation discovered them to be a threat to the building and especially to the Great Organs of the church, which were then being restructured and enlarged. He was able to obtain two oversized cranes to stablize the finials and ultimately have them brought down from the roof of the church. They were then taken to Inglewood Cemetery for storage, where they remained until a generous gift from the estate of Dr. Aura Lee Pittenger allowed First Church to restore the towers to their former splendor. The original finials were now too heavy for the tower and so were replaced with lighter weight versions. Under the direction of Trustee Don Battjes, our former finials were brought back to the church and now sit as sentinels at the gates of our parking lots. Had Mr. Russell not acted as speedily as he did, these finials could have come crashing down through the rear balcony organs and by sheer weight alone, would have continued and imbedded themselves in the sub-basements of the church at a cost of millions of dollars more in damages. The following photographs show the installation of the old finials into their new resting place.
	The old finials from the tower were loaded on huge trucks at the Inglewood Cemetery and trucked to Sixth and Commonwealth Avenue to be installed in their new home by the entry gates of First Church
	The finials were attached to the crane lines by two large hooks, a red one and the main hook. The men had to climb onto the finials to attach the cables that would hold the finial to the hook.
	The two cables then hoisted the finial off of the support blocks, and slowly but surely were pulled into an upright position
	As the crane hoisted the tremendous weight, we all watched in fascination lest it should slip its braces and come crashing to the ground.
	It settled slowly into position
	Finally coming to rest in a full upright position. The red hook was then disconnected and the finial was slowly moved to the pedestal by the rotation of the crane and settled onto the concrete slab that is to become its new permanent home.
	And here it stands, a sentinel at the entry gate, the solidity of the past, watching the gateways to the future. One by one they took their place, two at the main gate and two to the street side. The old which stood so firmly watching our ancestors now looking upward as they ought, into the face of God.

THE RESTORATION OF OUR FINIALS AFTER THE NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE