Proposed Landmark Law Would Protect Church Slated For Closing

The Cleveland, Ohio Catholic Diocese has ordered fifty churches to close by next Summer as part of a downsizing plan. However the city of Lakewood is about to pass an ordinance to limit the impact of the closing on historic and ornate St. James Church. Yesterday's Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the city of Lakewood is about to enact an historic landmark law that will ban tearing down or gutting the interior of buildings designated as historic or cultural landmarks. The city will then move quickly to give St. James that designation.