St. Patrick Catholic Church (Portland, Oregon)

Last updated
St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church and Rectory
Portland Historic Landmark [1]
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church and Rectory - Portland, Oregon (2017).jpg
The church and rectory in 2017
Location1635 NW 19th Avenue
Portland, Oregon
Coordinates 45°32′05″N122°41′28″W / 45.534675°N 122.691033°W / 45.534675; -122.691033
Built1891
Architect Otto Kleemann
Architectural style Beaux-Arts [2]
NRHP reference No. 74001713
Added to NRHPMay 1, 1974

St. Patrick Catholic Church is a parish of the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon in the Northwest District of Portland, Oregon, United States. The historic church building is the oldest still used as such in Portland. In 1974, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church and Rectory. [2] [3]

Contents

Building

The church was originally designed by Otto Kleemann in the Second Renaissance Revival style; it is the only remaining Kleemann church in Portland. The original plans called for a brick structure, but with the foundation already laid, the material was changed to Clackamas County basalt. [4]

The church is cruciform, with an Italianate hipped dome and spire rising 35 feet above the ridge of the roof. The bays are separated by Ionic pilasters extending from the basement to the entablature. [1] The stained glass windows represent some of the earliest work of the Povey Brothers Studio. [5]

The interior of the church was not completed until 1914, when the plaster and lath were decorated with murals in honor of the church's silver jubilee. [6] Swiss artist Phillip Staehli was commissioned to reproduce pictures from Trinity College, Dublin; he painted a fresco of the Transfiguration of Jesus above the tabernacle and altar, flanked by lifesize paintings of Saint Patrick and Saint Bridget. Along the nave are frescoes of the principal saints of Ireland, [5] most of which survive: Columba, Kieran, Fridolin, Canice, Colman, Gall, Virgilius, Columbkille, Brendan, Jarith, Lawrence O'Toole, Malachy, and Ailbe.

History

Front of church, 1991 St Patrick's Church, Portland, Oregon (497070929).jpg
Front of church, 1991

The community was established in 1885 by Archbishop William Hickley Gross to serve the mostly Irish Catholic lumber and dockworkers in the area, located in the industrial areas of Slabtown and what is now called the Pearl District. A church and school, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, were opened as a mission of the cathedral. [7]

The cornerstone for the new church was laid on Saint Patrick's Day 1889; still unfinished, it was dedicated two years later. St. Patrick's built a Catholic school in 1918, operated by the Sisters of Mercy and after 1925, by the School Sisters of St. Francis. In addition to the Irish community, the parish registry swelled with new immigrants from Croatia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. [7]

As the neighborhood became more industrialized, it depopulated, and attendance fell. The school closed in 1957. [7] The construction of the Fremont Bridge and Interstate 405 further disrupted the neighborhood, and by 1972, the parish, with only 60 registered families, [5] had reverted to a mission church under the supervision of St. Birgitta in Linnton. [7]

In 1980, Bishop Paul E. Waldschmidt selected the church to serve the Hispanic population of Portland. In June 1985, St. Patrick's also became home to the Latin choir Cantores in Ecclesia. These set the stage for the revival of the parish, which celebrated its centennial in 1989. [7]

A wedding scene in the 2004 film What the Bleep Do We Know was filmed at St. Patrick's. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Patrick's Old Cathedral</span> Catholic parish church in Manhattan, New York

The Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral, sometimes shortened to St. Patrick's Old Cathedral or simply Old St. Patrick's, is a Catholic parish church, a basilica, and the former cathedral of the Archdiocese of New York, located in the Nolita neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Built between 1809 and 1815 and designed by Joseph-François Mangin in the Gothic Revival style, it was the seat of the archdiocese until the current St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan opened in 1879. Currently, liturgies are celebrated in English, Spanish, and Chinese. The church is at 260–264 Mulberry Street between Prince and Houston streets, with the primary entrance on Mott Street. Old St. Patrick parish merged with Most Precious Blood parish, and the two churches share priests and administrative staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Patrick Cathedral (Fort Worth, Texas)</span> Historic church in Texas, United States

St. Patrick Cathedral is the cathedral of the Catholic Church located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is a parish of the Diocese of Fort Worth and the seat of its bishop. Construction of St. Patrick's church began in 1888, and it was dedicated in 1892. It is listed along with nearby parish facilities on the National Register of Historic Places as the St. Patrick Cathedral Complex with the church building, the rectory, and St. Ignatius Academy regarded as contributing properties. The church and academy buildings are each recognized as Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of Saint Patrick (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)</span> Historic church in Pennsylvania, United States

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick is a cathedral of the Catholic Church in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Harrisburg and is the seat of its bishop. It is a contributing property in the Harrisburg Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Paul Roman Catholic Church (St. Paul, Oregon)</span> Historic church in Oregon, United States

St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in St. Paul, Oregon, United States, was the first church in Oregon to be built with bricks when it was constructed in 1846. It is the oldest brick building in the Pacific Northwest. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Cecilia Church and Convent (New York City)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

St. Cecilia Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and a historic landmark located at 120 East 106th Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York. The parish was established in 1873. It was staffed by the Redemptorist Fathers from 1939 to 2007. The church was designated a New York City landmark in 1976. The church and convent were listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Otto Karl Kleemann, frequently alternatively spelled Otto Kleeman, was an American architect in Portland, Oregon. His work included the design for Portland's Hotel Arminius and St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church and Rectory.

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

St. Patrick's Catholic Church was a Roman Catholic church in northwestern Shelby County, Ohio, United States. Located in the southwestern corner of Van Buren Township, the church sat at the intersection of Hoying and Wright-Puthoff Roads in the unincorporated community of St. Patrick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church Rectory and School</span> Historic church in New Jersey, United States

St. Joseph Plaza is an event venue in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, which formerly served St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, a parish of the Archdiocese of Newark of the Roman Catholic Church. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 8, 1980, for its significance in architecture and religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immaculate Conception Church (Washington, D.C.)</span> Historic church in Washington, D.C., United States

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is a historic Catholic parish in the United States in Washington, D.C. Located at 1315 8th Street Northwest, the church, school, rectory, and convent were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints Church (Manhattan)</span> Building in New York, United States

The Church of All Saints is a historic former Catholic church in the Archdiocese of New York, located at 47 East 129th Street, at the corner of Madison Avenue in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Paul Church (New York City)</span>

The Church of St. Paul is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The sixth parish established in New York City, it was designated a New York City Landmark on June 28, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Anselm and St. Roch (Bronx)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The Church of St. Anselm is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 685 Tinton Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. It was established in 1891 and is staffed by the Order of Augustinian Recollects. Previously it was staffed by the Benedictine monks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Povey Brothers Studio</span> Stained glass company in Portland, Oregon

Povey Brothers Studio, also known as Povey Brothers Art Glass Works or Povey Bros. Glass Co., was an American producer of stained glass windows based in Portland, Oregon. The studio was active from 1888 to 1928. As the largest and best known art glass company in Oregon, it produced windows for homes, churches, and commercial buildings throughout the West. When the firm was founded in 1888, it was the only creative window firm in Portland, then a city of 42,000 residents.

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

St. Mary's Catholic Church is a historic Catholic church building in an eastern neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio, United States. Constructed at the beginning of the twentieth century, it remains home to an active parish. Its grand architecture has made it an aviator's landmark, and it has been named a historic site by the federal government.

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

St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church is a historic Catholic church near Capitol Square in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. It was designed by one of Madison's pioneer architects and built in 1888 to serve the former parish of St. Patrick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Francis Xavier College Church</span> Historic church in Missouri, United States

St. Francis Xavier College Church is a Catholic church in the Midtown neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The church was built by the Society of Jesus in 1836: the current building dates from 1884. It serves as a parish church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and for the Saint Louis University community. It is a contributing property in the Midtown Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places and it is listed as a City Landmark in St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Patrick's Catholic Church (Washington, D.C.)</span> Church in D.C., United States

St Patrick's Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America. Established in 1794, it is the oldest Catholic parish in the city of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Augustine Church (Pittsburgh)</span> United States historic place

St. Augustine Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It has remained in use as a parish church since construction, currently serving the Parish of Our Lady of the Angels, which with St. Maria Goretti forms the Bloomfield/Garfield/Lawrenceville Grouping within the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The church has been operated by the Capuchin Friars since 1873 and is the headquarters of the Capuchin Province of St. Augustine.

References

  1. 1 2 Portland Historic Landmarks Commission (July 2014), Historic Landmarks -- Portland, Oregon (XLS), retrieved September 10, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon Historic Sites Database , retrieved November 2, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. June 6, 2011. p. 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  4. ↑ "St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church", AHC website, Architectural Heritage Center, retrieved December 11, 2015
  5. 1 2 3 Moore, Philip S. (March 16, 2003), "Pluck of the Irish in Portland", National Catholic Register, retrieved December 11, 2014
  6. ↑ "St. Patrick's Church Will Celebrate Its Silver Jubilee", The Sunday Oregonian, March 13, 1914, retrieved December 11, 2014
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "History of St. Patrick", St Patrick's Church, Portland website, retrieved December 11, 2015
  8. ↑ John Gottberg Anderson (October 10, 2010), "Filming in Oregon, Many locations across the state star in films over the years", The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.