OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — An iconic Oklahoma City church, referred to as “The Egg” because of its unique shape, was flattened Monday morning.

A demolition permit was issued early today for the First Christian Church at Northwest 36th and Walker. Crews were already working to tear down the 1956 church by 8 a.m.

The church had been on the market since 2016.

The church is listed on the National Register of Historic places but under Federal Law that doesn’t place any restrictions on what a non-federal owner can do with the property.

Knowing this distinction, a group started a petition in 2019 worried about this very outcome.

The group Okie Mod Squad tried to get the City Council to declare the church a landmark, which would require any demo permit to be reviewed by the Historic Protection Commission and allow the public to participate in that review. They garnered almost 5,800 signatures online.

The church acted as the Compassion Center, housing the American Red Cross, local first responders and mental health professionals directly following the Oklahoma City Murrah building bombing. During its 16 days of operation, The Center served thousand of survivors, victim families and rescue workers, according to the Office for Victims of Crime.

It is unclear what is being planned for the property, but safe to say the easily recognized building will be missed.

Facebook posts in the church’s memory are starting to pop up.

The Helm Farm Neighborhood page wrote in part, “Hearts across OKC are breaking, after the historic “First Christian Church” building was suddenly demolished this morning. Although not in our boundaries, Helm Farm would be remiss if we did not highlight the importance of such a significant landmark to our great city, especially with its close proximity to our community.”

©2022 Imagicomm Tulsa, Inc.