A Downtown Zanesville church building has been condemned until necessary structural repairs can be made.

According to Jason Baughman, Chief Building Official of the Mid-East Ohio Building Department, due to current roof conditions, St. Thomas Aquinas Church is not safe to be occupied at this time.

Baughman said church officials had contacted a structural engineer regarding its roof, and it was determined upon inspection that there were a number of failures in the roof system in need of repair.

The engineer also made Baughman aware of the situation.

“Based on what I saw and having a design professional say such a thing, I had no choice but to condemn the church,” said Baughman. “It’s strictly in regards to the roof structure, and it is certainly repairable.”

Until such repairs are made, the church is inaccessible to the public.

“In the interim, Masses and other Church activities will be relocated to the adjacent St. Thomas Activity Center; weekday Masses will be held in the Chapel,” said the Catholic Diocese of Columbus in a media statement. “Parishioners will be notified of these changes and will be informed of further developments as information becomes available.”