By Town Crier Staff Report

Wrecking crews demolished the 50-year-old rectory at St. Nicholas Church last week to make way for an expanded parish center on the .57-acre site.

A pile of rubbish was all that remained of the building on Lincoln Avenue by early afternoon Aug. 14.

The Los Altos City Council last January gave St. Nicholas the go-ahead to begin work on a new parish center.

Renovation plans called for the demolition of the existing rectory and parish office building adjacent to the historic Catholic church.

A two-story, 3,242-square-foot parish center will replace the original buildings.

Church members said they could not afford to upgrade the existing 50-year-old rectory to the latest building codes.

The building will increase the usable space by 265 square feet.