John Dunne: ‘Give St. John Cantius a stay of execution’ Published: 3/8/2021 5:36:28 PM The destruction of St. John Cantius Church on Hawley Street would be a sin. This is a significant building, over 100 years old. It’s beautiful. It tells a story of our city’s past. It’s right in the middle of an important historic neighborhood with historic structures on Bridge Street, Phillips Place and Pomeroy Terrace. The culture, the work, the history, the diversity of our past are all here to see in this building. It is too important to rush to destroy. The community should be given time to explore reuses of the church. O’Connell Development sought permission to destroy the church at the hearing last month of the Central Business Architecture Committee, but O’Connel’s representatives made it clear that they had not explored some very obvious resources for preservation, like historic tax credits. It appears they never really tried to save the building and want to put up townhouses instead.