Church of St. Mary (Melrose, Minnesota)

Last updated
Church of St. Mary
Church of St. Boniface
Church of St Boniface-Melrose MN.jpg
The Church of St. Mary in 2015
USA Minnesota location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location203 5th Avenue Southeast, Melrose, Minnesota
Coordinates 45°40′21″N94°48′28″W / 45.67250°N 94.80778°W / 45.67250; -94.80778
AreaLess than one acre
Built1899 (church), 1907 (rectory)
Built byE. D. Richmond
Architect George Bergmann
Architectural style Romanesque Revival (church), Queen Anne (rectory)
NRHP reference No. 93001234 [1]
Designated November 12, 1993

The Church of St. Mary, formerly the Church of St. Boniface, was a historic Roman Catholic church in Melrose, Minnesota, United States. The church and the adjacent 1907 rectory were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 for having local significance in the themes of European ethnic heritage and social history. [2] The property was nominated to the Register as a manifestation of the importance of ethnic parishes in the cultural and religious life of Minnesota's rural German American populace in the 19th and early 20th centuries. [3]

Contents

On March 11, 2016, the Church of St. Mary was heavily damaged by a fire. [4] Demolition of the church began on May 19, 2020, and a new $10 million church was built nearby. [5]

History

The parish was founded in 1878 by German immigrants, six years after a nearby parish, St. Patrick's, was founded by Irish immigrants. The first building was a wood-frame structure, built in 1879 at a cost of $3,000. In 1882, they established a Catholic school and a convent. The current building was dedicated in 1898 and built for $50,000. The old building became a school, but it was destroyed in a fire in 1910. [6]

In 1958 the bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud decided that St. Boniface and St. Patrick would merge into a new parish named St. Mary's. St. Patrick's parish was outgrowing its space and was looking for new room. In 1970, the St. Patrick's church building was demolished. The church is now part of a four-parish cluster with parishes in Meire Grove, Greenwald, and Spring Hill. [6]

On March 11, 2016, the Church of St. Mary was heavily damaged by a fire. No people were injured, and the blaze was extinguished before the roof or exterior walls were lost. [4] Investigators announced in May that the fire had been set deliberately. [7] Despite many attempts made by local church goers and community members to restore the 122-year-old church, demolition of the building began on May 19, 2020. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Augusta, Minnesota</span> City in Minnesota, United States

Saint Augusta or St. Augusta, formerly named Ventura, is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States, directly south of the city of St. Cloud. The population was 3,497 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception (Norfolk, Virginia)</span> Historic church in Virginia, United States

The Minor Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception is a Black Catholic parish in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. It is the oldest parish in the Diocese of Richmond and is known locally as "The Mother Church of Tidewater Virginia".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Assumption (Saint Paul, Minnesota)</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

The Church of the Assumption Catholic Church was dedicated in 1874 and is the oldest existing church in Saint Paul. It is located at 51 West Seventh Street, in downtown Saint Paul. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Agnes (Saint Paul, Minnesota)</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

The Church of Saint Agnes is a Catholic church of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The parish was founded in 1887 and the current church building was completed in 1912 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Wenceslaus (New Prague, Minnesota)</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

The Church of St. Wenceslaus is a Catholic church in New Prague, Minnesota, United States, constructed in 1907. The church is flanked by a 1908 rectory and a 1914 parochial school, and the three-building complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its association with the Czech American settlement of south-central Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's Catholic Church (Indianapolis, Indiana)</span> Historic church in Indiana, United States

St. Mary Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Stearns County, Minnesota</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Stearns County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Joseph Catholic Church is a former Catholic parish in the Diocese of Davenport. Its former parish church is located in the west end of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The church and the rectory were listed together on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1999. After serving as the location of a Reformed Baptist congregation and a private elementary school named Marquette Academy, the parish property now houses a fundamentalist Christian ministry named One Eighty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Boniface Catholic Church (Sioux City, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Boniface Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Sioux City. The church is located in a residential area west of downtown Sioux City, Iowa, United States. The parish buildings form a nationally recognized historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as St. Boniface Historic District. At the time of its nomination it contained three resources, all of them contributing buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old St. Mary's Church (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)</span> Historic church in Wisconsin, United States

Old St. Mary's Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was built in 1846 and 1847. The parish was founded a year earlier, by German Catholic immigrants. It was the proto-German church of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The city had been incorporated only the year before, and Wisconsin had not yet become a state. Old St. Mary's is the oldest church still standing in the city. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)</span> Historic church in Wisconsin, United States

St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church is a historic church built in 1893 at the corner of 7th and Washington Streets in Walker's Point on the near South Side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin - still very intact. The building was designated a city landmark in 1973 and added to the National Register of Historic Places the following year for its artistic and architectural significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Boniface Church (Clinton, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Boniface Church is a former parish church of the Diocese of Davenport. The church was founded in the town of Lyons, which is now the north side of Clinton, Iowa, United States. The church building is now a museum named The Catholic Historical Center at St. Boniface, with exhibits about the history of the Clinton area Catholic community, and an archive of local Catholic church artifacts and records. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Sacred Heart (Freeport, Minnesota)</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

The Church of the Sacred Heart is a historic Roman Catholic church building in Freeport, Minnesota, United States. The church was constructed from 1905 to 1906 as the third and largest building to house a congregation formed by the community's German American settlers in 1881. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 as Church of the Sacred Heart (Catholic) for its local significance in the theme of social history. It was nominated for demonstrating the central role played by the Catholic church in Freeport and many other Central Minnesota communities settled by German immigrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Joseph (St. Joseph, Minnesota)</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

The Church of St. Joseph is a historic Roman Catholic church building in St. Joseph, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud. It was constructed in a German immigrant community in 1869, though the tower wasn't completed until 1884. A rectory stands east of the church. Both buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for their state-level significance in the themes of architecture, exploration/settlement, and religion. The property was nominated for reflecting the settlement of rural Stearns County by Catholic immigrant groups clustered in small, ethnic hamlets dominated by a central church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary Help of Christians Church (St. Augusta, Minnesota)</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

St. Mary Help of Christians Church is a historic Roman Catholic church building in St. Augusta, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud. The church was constructed in 1873 in a rural community settled by German immigrants. An 1890 rectory stands southeast of the church. Both buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for their state-level significance in the themes of architecture, exploration/settlement, and religion. The property was nominated for reflecting the settlement of rural Stearns County by Catholic immigrant groups clustered in small, ethnic hamlets dominated by a central church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Immaculate Conception (St. Anna, Minnesota)</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

The Church of the Immaculate Conception is a historic Roman Catholic church building in the unincorporated community of St. Anna, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud. The church was constructed in 1902 in a rural community settled by Polish immigrants. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its state-level significance in the themes of architecture, exploration/settlement, and religion. It was nominated for reflecting the settlement of rural Stearns County by Catholic immigrant groups clustered in small, ethnic hamlets dominated by a central church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Joseph (Browerville, Minnesota)</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

The historic Church of St. Joseph is a church in Browerville, Minnesota, United States. It was built from 1908 to 1909 by a community of Polish immigrants that had established itself in the area from 1870 to 1900. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Church of St. Joseph—Catholic in 1985 for its local significance in the themes of architecture, exploration/settlement, and religion. It was nominated for its unifying central role in an immigrant community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. John the Baptist (Burlington, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Church of St. John the Baptist is a historic church building located in Burlington, Iowa, United States. Together with St. Paul's Church in Burlington and St Mary's Church in West Burlington it forms Divine Mercy parish, which is a part of the Diocese of Davenport. The parish maintains the former parish church buildings as worship sites. St. John's was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Anthony's Catholic Church (Des Moines, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Anthony's Catholic Church is a Catholic parish church in the Diocese of Des Moines located on the south side of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Church of Saint Boniface (Catholic)". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
  3. Granger, Sue; Patricia Murphy (1993-06-01). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Church of St. Boniface (Report). National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  4. 1 2 McKinney, Matt (2016-03-15). "Melrose residents stunned as fire destroys historic church". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Archived from the original on 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  5. 1 2 Lewerenz, Jennifer (2020-05-19). "Demolition this week for St. Mary's Church in Melrose". St. Cloud: KNSI. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  6. 1 2 "Church of St. Mary, Melrose, Minnesota: History". Archived from the original on 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  7. Marohn, Kirsti (2016-05-20). "Melrose church fire intentionally set". SC Times. St. Cloud, Minn. Retrieved 2016-11-04.