A white and blue pickup truck labeled “Joseph Dugan Inc.” parked on Memphis Street near its intersection with Berks early on Monday morning, accompanied by a color-coordinated cherry picker crane. The crane elevated a platform about two stories off the ground and against St. Laurentius Church’s rear wall.

Contractors worked from that platform throughout the morning and early afternoon removing individual bricks from the wall of the church with power tools.

Several onlookers identified a man supervising the operation as a representative of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. This alleged representative declined to speak with either parishioners or a 6ABC Action News cameraman.

The Philadelphia Historical Commission confirmed that engineering firm O’Donnell & Naccarato hired Dugan to take samples of the church’s brickwork for analysis, according to an e-mail by the Commission to a Laurentius parishioner.

Work based on these new brickwork samples may be submitted during an upcoming Commission meeting, scheduled for July 10, 9AM, in room 18-029 at 1515 Arch St. The Commission will at that meeting either grant or deny the church designation as a historical site.

If granted, such designation would perhaps indefinitely frustrate plans by the Archdiocese to demolish the church and sell the property on which it sits.

A contractor with Dugan said the firm will take additional brick samples from each wall of the church this week.