HOUSTON — A historic church just west of downtown whose roof partially collapsed Friday morning needs to be torn down, the city of Houston said.

Firefighters evacuated residents near Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church after its brick facade scattered into the streets.

Houston Fire Department Assistant Chief Tommy Dowdy said the building has been unstable for some time, but it was not torn down because of its historical status.

The City of Houston's Archaeological and Historical Commission recommended the 68-year-old building be considered for protected landmark designation in February 2008.

Now the city said the building is unsafe, and demolition crews and city officials are heading to the site in Freedman's Town. But first they must deal with a bee infestation at the back of the building.

Congregants plan to collect some of the bricks and use them for some preservation effort in the future.

Firefighters asked residents near the church to leave their homes for safety's sake.

"We're concerned about some of the walls coming down and hitting the buildings next to it," Assistant Chief Dowdy said.

Church member Timothy O'Brian said the church has been working to raise money for its restoration, and they haven't had services there for about two years. O'Brian said it would cost millions to repair it.

Firefighters initially thought vagrants were in the building, but they used cameras to verify that no one was in the building.

"We need to do a search, but we need to do it carefully because we don't need any of our people to be victims in there," Dowdy said. "So they're gonna go in very slowly, very methodically -- we're not in any time frame here."

There were no reports of injuries.

Keith Bolden, a man who lives near the church, said he was concerned about his neighbors who live close to the building and said the church represents a tremendous part of Freedman Town's history.

"It's been a pillar of the Fourth Ward community," he said. "This church has served this community for at least five or six decades."

According to the city, the church congregation has served the community for more than 90 years. It was the fifth Baptist church to be established in Freedman's Town.

City Councilman James Rodriguez said the building's demise is a sign that the city needs to do a better job preserving the past.

The current building was built in 1940 and was extensively remodeled in 1954. The city said that while no one thing caused the collapse, the brick facade added weight to the building.

Almost 75 percent of the district's historical buildings have been demolished, and the city said Mount Carmel is one of only nine remaining historical congregations in Freedman's Town.