Steeplejack "Jack" Hassler Sees Passing of the Spire - 1917

Evening Ledger 5 July 1917

Is the church steeple, the traditional proverbial spire, which has long pointed toward heaven, passing?

Architects, steeplejacks and church folk, to say nothing of the ordinary mortal who just observes, have noticed this dearth of church steeples, which for economical reasons is sweeping Philadelphia.

"Jack" Hassler, Philadelphia's famous steeplejack who played around on William Penn's hand when Associated Advertising Clubs of the World had their convention in this city and who walks around on high buildings until he looks like a fly, says he has noticed the "passing of the the church steeple." 

"It is true that the church steeple Is passing." said "Jack" at his unique offices, 681 North Broad street. "Why, just in the last year I have more orders to tear down church steeples than you can imagine.

"The church steeple in passing, not because people think less of it as a churchly acquisition but because of the economy of the steeplesless church." he said "Often it costs $1,400 to fix up a steeple. It costs a lot of money to put one on in the first place Then it costs money to keep them in condition. It costs to take care of the crosses and the weather vanes "

Mr. Hassler also pointed out that the church steeple which is not looked after is a dangerous thing. Even if it is not out of repair it is costly to have a steeplejack climb to the dangerous heights and find out what the condition of the steeple is.
 
St. Mark's Episcopal Church of Frankford is one of the examples of a newly constructed church which has no steeple built on it. This is one of the most beautiful new churches around Philadelphia but it is steepleless.
 
Mr. Hassler says that during the last year he has taken steeples off the following churches. The Fourth Baptist, Fifth and Buttonwood streets ; the Tenth Presbyterian, Seventeenth and Spruce streets ; the Heidelberg Reformed, Ninth and Oxford streets ; St. Agatha's Catholic, Thirty-eighth and Spring Garden streets ; the Second Baptist, Seventh street below Girard Avenue ; St. Mark's Lutheran, Thirteenth and Spring Garden streets ; the Baptist church at the Falls of the Schuylkill, the Central North Broad Street Presbyterian, at Broad and Mount Vernon streets, and the Baptist church on the corner of Broad and Green streets.



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