Structural engineers were examining today whether a 120-year-old former Methodist Church ripped apart without planning permission can be saved.
Dublin City Council warned it would be several days before the fate of the historic building in the shadow of Croke Park is known.
Officials ordered workmen at the Jones Road site to stop all demolition work on Tuesday night, but residents woke early the following morning to hear a JCB smashing through the church wall.
The former church and schoolhouse, which dates back to 1881, was not listed and the council confirmed no planning application has been made for work.
"We have structural engineers working in conjunction with our own dangerous building engineers," a council spokesman said.
"They are examining the building to see what decision can be taken with regard to the future stability of it. The matter is still under investigation. We don't want to run into a decision to demolish it.
Virtually the entire front of the red brick building has been knocked out.
"At this point in time, naked to the eye, there has been a significant amount of structural damage done and it really remains to be seen whether at this stage it is feasible and safe to rebuild it," said the council spokesman.
An enforcement notice was served on the owner of the site on Tuesday evening after demolition works began without permission.
The local authority also ordered the owner to reinstate parts of the building that were demolished by next April.
But residents woke yesterday morning to find a JCB ramming the church and the driver reportedly fled the scene.
Deputy Lord Mayor Emer Costello branded the partial demolition a tragedy and said she would be in favour of a prison sentence for those responsible.
"We're left with this absolutely devastating scene of total destruction of an absolutely beautiful building. It really was a building of architectural merit," Ms Costello said.
"I really feel we have to go after the perpetrators of this."
PA