Knights of Columbus rising from the ashes

Twelve months ago, the heavily damaged headquarters of the Long Beach Knights of Columbus sat at the corner of West Beech Street and Minnesota Avenue, with nothing inside but piles of charred lumber and ashy rubble. Today, a foundation sits on the corner lot, the beginnings of a new building.

Just over a year after a catastrophic fire destroyed the Knights’ headquarters — which served as an aid center for thousands of residents after Hurricane Sandy — the organization is finally making progress on rebuilding.

“It’s the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Grand Knight Ron Browne. “We were determined to make sure it came together. [Giving up] wasn’t even an option.”

The Knights of Columbus have always had a strong presence in the West End, but after Sandy, they were heroes in the community. Their building, at 970 W. Beech St., was repurposed as a relief center for victims in the weeks after the storm. The Knights powered up emergency generators just two days after Sandy, and volunteers served three meals a day and distributed much-needed supplies. They also served food to more than 500 people there on Thanksgiving.

“That’s probably what they’re going to be best remembered for for a while,” said West End Neighbors Civic Association President John Bendo. “They became the social hub of the West End. They became an impromptu relief center despite the fact that their place was badly damaged. They did this while they were having the same problems as everyone else. They helped other people when they themselves were in need.”

On Dec. 10, 2012, just two weeks after Thanksgiving, a two-alarm fire ripped through the building, all but destroying it. The fire, with flames shooting 20 feet in the air, took 90 minutes to subdue, witnesses said. Suddenly, the group that had supported the community through disaster was in need of some help itself.

“After Sandy, how many times did you go down Beech Street and they were out providing meals and coffee, good conversation and maybe a shoulder to cry on?” said County Legislator Denise Ford, a West End resident. “It was a place for people to gather, and a few days later, boom, it was burnt down.”