The demolished Our Mother of Sorrows Church in Bridgeport is the latest in a long line of sanctuaries that salvager Bob Beaty has been visiting in recent years, writes Joseph N. DiStefano for Philly.com.

Once a church and school as well as a rectory and convent, the parish prospered for several generations. But then like many, it shrank and never recovered.

Our Mother of Sorrows was knocked down to make room for plans to build hilltop homes in the area. After the demolishing crew was gone, Beaty was left with a site covered in rubble, impressed at how immigrants had built the sanctuary to last.

“We thought it would be mostly wood,” he said. “But it’s steel.”

The yard had steel beams, bricks, concrete blocks, marble, and pipes. A stone frame carved with “Ave Maria” also remained for Beaty to take back to his Philadelphia shop.

While upset at the decision to destroy these sanctuaries, Beaty is trying to find ways to preserve and repurpose some of their remains.

“I’d like to start a line of furniture made from this reclaimed material,” he said.

Read more about Beaty’s salvaging at Philly.com by clicking here.