St. Paul Church Historic District | |
 View from the Carew Tower | |
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| Location | Spring, 12th and Pendleton Sts., Cincinnati, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°6′35″N84°30′26″W / 39.10972°N 84.50722°W Coordinates: 39°6′35″N84°30′26″W / 39.10972°N 84.50722°W |
| Area | 1.8 acres (0.73 ha) |
| Built | 1848 |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| NRHP reference # | 74001513 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 1974 |
St. Paul Church is a former Roman Catholic church located on the southeastern corner of Twelfth and Spring Streets in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, in the city's Pendleton neighborhood.
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with approximately 1.3 billion baptised Catholics worldwide as of 2017. As the world's oldest and largest continuously functioning international institution, it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilisation. The church is headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the pope. Its central administration, the Holy See, is in the Vatican City, an enclave within the city of Rome in Italy.
Cincinnati is a major city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and is the government seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line with Kentucky. The city is the economic and cultural hub of the Cincinnati metropolitan area, the fastest growing economic power in the Midwestern United States based on increase of economic output, which had a population of 2,190,209 as of the 2018 census estimates. This makes it Ohio's largest metropolitan area and the nation's 28th-largest. With a city population estimated at 302,605, Cincinnati is the third-largest city in Ohio and 65th in the United States. Cincinnati is also within a day's drive of 49.70% of the United States populace.
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Of the fifty states, it is the 34th largest by area, the seventh most populous, and the tenth most densely populated. The state's capital and largest city is Columbus. Ohio is bordered by Pennsylvania to the east, Michigan to the northwest, Lake Erie to the north, Indiana to the west, Kentucky on the south, and West Virginia on the southeast.
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The German-speaking parish was formed in the winter of 1847-1848 to serve the members of St. Mary's Church who lived east of Clay Street.[ citation needed ] Under the leadership of Vicar-General Joseph Ferneding, the members bought the present site and surrounding properties in February 1848; their design was finalized four months later, and construction was financed by the sale of the land now comprising the surrounding neighborhood. Construction was finished in 1850; the completed building measures 150 by 68 feet (46 m × 21 m) and stands 48 feet (15 m) tall with a tin-covered gabled roof; [2] the building is built of brick on a stone foundation. [3] A fire in 1899 destroyed all but the church walls and German-made stained glass windows, but reconstruction began at once, and the new St. Paul's was dedicated on October 7, 1900. Light fills the interior and the proscenium is supported by twelve Corinthian columns. This brick Romanesque structure has broad Doric pilasters set in its corners and between its tall, round arched windows. It has a Renaissance tower capped with a Pope's Mitre cupola roof and gilded cross. The three arched doorways face Spring Street.[ citation needed ]
German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol in Italy, the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. The languages which are most similar to German are the other members of the West Germanic language branch: Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German/Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish. There are also strong similarities in vocabulary with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, although those belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English.
Old St. Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati's historic Over-The-Rhine neighborhood. It is the oldest continually-used house of worship in Cincinnati.
Deconsecrated in 1974,[ citation needed ] the church complex was named to the National Register of Historic Places in the same year; the buildings compose a historic district, the "St. Paul Church Historic District". [1] In 1981, The Verdin Company, a bell and clock company, purchased the church, convent, schools, and rectory. The buildings were restored and the church was transformed into a bell and clock museum/showroom. The other buildings were transformed into art galleries. The records for this parish are located at Old St. Mary's Church.
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.
Historic districts in the United States are designated historic districts recognizing a group of buildings, properties, or sites by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided into two categories, contributing and non-contributing. Districts greatly vary in size: some have hundreds of structures, while others have just a few.
The Verdin Company is a manufacturer of bronze bells, clocks and towers based in Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States. The company has been making bells for use in bell and clock towers, peals, chimes, and carillons since 1842. They also manufacture electronic carillons, street clocks, glockenspiels, and monuments. There is now an organ division serving churches and other institutions combining organ and bell music.
In 1983, the Ohio Historical Society gave the Verdin Company an award for its use of the church building, praising their restoration and adaptive reuse of the church. [4]
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. Adaptive reuse is an effective strategy for optimizing the operational and commercial performance of built assets. Adaptive reuse of buildings can be an attractive alternative to new construction in terms of sustainability and a circular economy. Not every old building can qualify for adaptive reuse. Architects, developers, builders and entrepreneurs who wish to become involved in rejuvenating and reconstructing a building must first make sure that the finished product will serve the need of the market, that it will be completely useful for its new purpose, and that it will be competitively priced.
Today, the church is owned by Cafeo Hospitality. It is now a venue for weddings and corporate events. http://belleventcentre.com
