Damage drawing crowds at Old South

Amy Budka and the Rev. Quinn Caldwell inspected damage incurred many years ago at Old South Church. Dozens of people went to the church yesterday to see the new damage. (Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

A 60-foot crack in one of the stone walls of Old South Church is fast becoming one of the city's newest tourist attractions. Since news of the damaged wall was reported Friday, visitors have descended on the historic church, clustering on the street and in its aisles to view the damage.

Barbara and Alvin Yerkes of Brookline stood amid the pews and were aghast gazing up at the crack, a half-inch wide in some places, which meandered along the church's priceless stained-glass windows and down to the foundation.

"I've always liked this church and admired it from afar," said 74-year-old Barbara Yerkes. "It would be a shame if anything happened to it."

It was a widely echoed sentiment at Copley Square yesterday, where dozens of people came not to see the church's vaulted ceilings, massive pipe organ, or hand-carved finials, but to glimpse the dramatic fissure that threatens the 135-year-old landmark.

Officials with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority have taken responsibility for the damage, which is visible from inside and outside the church. Church officials said the crack is thought to have split the wall sometime Tuesday during construction at the T station.

Engineers for the church and the MBTA's contractor have said the building remains structurally sound, but the church has silenced its massive pipe organ, out of fear that its vibrations could cause more damage.

Yesterday, the pastor, the Rev. Nancy S. Taylor, unexpectedly found herself in the role of tour guide, answering questions posed by groups.

"It's viscerally painful to look at," Taylor said yesterday as she showed a group the crack with a laser pointer.

The crack is the latest chapter in the controversial saga involving the MBTA's efforts to make one of the Copley Square T stations handicapped accessible.

The Neighborhood Association of Back Bay opposed the project for largely aesthetic reasons, saying the proposed edifice marred the site lines of one of the city's most historic and beloved squares. Taylor said the church opposed the T station reconstruction for different reasons. Three of the church's four walls are cracked, although not as badly as the newly damaged wall, and under constant surveillance by structural specialists. With the T station just steps from the church, and sitting on wooden pilings like most of Back Bay, Taylor said the MBTA's construction plan has always been a risky proposition.

"This is exactly what we were afraid would happen and what we said was the worst possible outcome," she said yesterday.

MBTA officials have said that they will hold the contractor, J.F. White Contracting Co., responsible for the damage. Spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the contractor purchased additional liability insurance "over and above" the usual policy in the event that any damage to the church occurred. The MBTA expects a preliminary recommendation on how to proceed with repairs by the end of the week.

Yesterday morning, the contractor sent workers to fill the crack with a flexible foam to prevent rain or snow from causing further damage. The filling made the crack less visible from Dartmouth Street yesterday, but many people searched for it.

Richard Yeo, a parishioner of eight years, greeted visitors to the church yesterday "Tourists look at it as a historical landmark. But for parishioners, it's our home. Holy ground," he said.

Megan Woolhouse can be reached at mwoolhouse@globe.com.