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St. Patrick’s Church in Southold loses ‘majestic’ tree

St. Patrick's Church tree removed

The large tree located in front of St. Patrick’s Church in Southold has been removed.

Workers at the church described the tree as “dead” and said it was removed for safety reasons. Church officials weren’t immediately available for comment.

Maureen McCarthy, a Southold resident whose brothers are parishioners at the church, said she noticed the tree was removed Tuesday afternoon and was saddened to see it gone.

“It was such a shock,” she said of the chestnut tree. “It was a gorgeous, majestic tree in the historic corridor.”

Ms. McCarthy described the tree’s removal this week as another loss to the historic corridor along Route 25.

In March, a fire destroyed First Universalist Church of Southold located across the street from St. Patrick’s Church. Another nearby church, Southold United Methodist Church, closed in June 2014 and an opera house is planned for the space.

“Things are changing,” she said. “I thought there had to be a good a reason to remove the tree. If it was a safety issue, then that’s unfortunate.”

In 2013, a delivery truck from a Queens bakery crashed into the tree.

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Photo: An October 2013 Google Map image on the right shows the tree in front of St. Patrick’s Church in Southold. The Suffolk Times photo on the left taken Tuesday shows the tree has been removed.