St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Cincinnati Ohio
The first Catholic Church in Cumminsville was St. Aloysius, founded in 1852. Its congregation was comprised of Irish and German Catholics. During the early 1850's many Irish came to Cumminsville to work on the Miami and Erie Canal and the new Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad.
In 1861 the Irish congregation won a lottery and obtained the right to stay in the established parish building. The German speaking members of the congregation received $1,500.00 to begin building another Catholic Church to be called St. Boniface's. This modest Romanesque Revival building was completed in 1863.
A brief account of the church noted, "When the German exodus took place from St. Aloysius, the English speaking parish men, being in the ascendancy, held services in the original church, where Reverend Walker began his Pastorate in 1862". In 1862 the Irish members of St. Aloysius changed the name of their parish to St. Patrick's, and also moved into a small building at the corner of Blue Rock and Turril Streets.
In 1870 ground was broken on the same location for a new edifice; the building being dedicated in 1873. The Catholic Church Souvenir Album of 1896 described St. Patrick's as "the only instance in Cincinnati of a church with a dome and steeple in the center of the cruciform edifice, and is easily the most conspicuous building in Cumminsville … ". The building was remodeled in 1922, and the rectory was built in 1937. In 1969 the parish of St. Patrick's and St. Boniface's affiliated and consolidated their parochial schools. This was the first merger of two Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
The church, because its mass and scale is a focal point within the neighborhood of Northside. In close proximity to the church are found the rectory and parish school, now closed and demolished. The area adjacent to the church is one exhibiting mixed land use with light industrial, commercial and residential.
Site Description
St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church was dedicated in 1873. The structure is cruciform in plan and constructed of random stone. The main entrance is reached by stone stairs. The entrance consists of a pointed gable with a rounded arch entrance. An engaged column flanks either side of the entrance. The double door is topped by a pair of pointed arched windows, forming a trefoil. Above the entrance is a large pointed arch recessed in the stone of the facade resulting in a shallow niche.
A large rose window is set into this niche. The window is divided into pie sections by mullions radiating from a central circle with a diamond pattern inside of the circle. The gable of the facade roof is topped by a stone-cross and the gable is trimmed with carved stone. Stone buttresses are placed on-either side of the facade and also on either side of the entrance.
Buttressing and pointed windows surrounded by rounded arches are used throughout the church.
The most outstanding feature of the church is the steeple rising from the center. The steeple has an octagonal base decorated with four small gables supported by small columns that echo the design of the main entrance. The base supports an elongated ribbed dome capped by eight small gables and a pointed roof. All of the roofs are covered with red tile.
The unique architectural character of St. Patrick's Church results from the unusual blending of elements derived from Romanesque and Gothic church styles.
In close association with the church is found the parish house that was constructed in 1906 and remodeled in 1937. The building is asymmetrical in plan, 2½ story, brick with irregular fenestration. It is distinguished by the side tower, intersecting gable roof, classic porch treatment and large window exhibiting doric capped columns.
A parish school, constructed c. 1905, was demolished in 1976, because the church no longer needed the building.
The original wall construction of the church is brick that has been faced with concrete resembling a random ashlar pattern. The original roof was imbricated slate that now exhibits tile.
Looking at south front facade (1975)
Looking at south and east facades (1975)
View looking northeast at rectory (1975)
Looking northwest at St. Patrick's School - now demolished (1975)
Rear facade, looking east-southeast (1978)
