Philadelphia Church Project

Find this church. No, seriously.

2012-01-20T08:58:00.002-05:00

A request from the mailbag:

My name is Debbie Strand, and I am assisting with the effort to help restore Mount Moriah Cemetery to some semblance of a respectable resting ground for thousands of Philadelphia's great ancestors (including a great-great-grandfather of mine). I spent some time reviewing your website last night, and I must tell you it is very interesting! Thank you for taking the time to enlighten others about the responsibility we have as a society to respect and maintain such important historical structures.

I have been trying to gather information on a church called Advent Protestant Episcopal Church, or Church of the Advent, in Philadelphia. Supposedly this church owned a section of burial plots at Mount Moriah, but I have been unable to find any information online which could be helpful to me. I did uncover an artist's drawing of the church on Flickr-- http://www.flickr.com/photos/library-company-of-philadelphia/4700228189/, and the note below the photo which says it is located on Old York Road.

My question is-Have you ever heard of this church, or photographed it? Is it still standing? Or perhaps you know if it has been refurbished for a different purpose? Better yet, maybe you know whom would I contact to find out if any records were kept regarding burials of former parishioners at Mount Moriah? Any information you could provide would be helpful.
I appreciate your consideration-

Ooooo, I love a good treasure hunt.

For what it's worth, I've attached Debbie's photo above. I did some checking around, and I found an entry in a Philadelphia architectural database for a Church of the Advent at 2507 N. 5th Street, near 5th & Cumberland. The church is still standing, and is apparently still in use as the Juan 3:16 Asambleas de Dios, a chapter of the Assemblies of God sect.

However, that's the only entry for a church with that name. Nothing comes up on or near Old York Road, and the church (which you can see through Google streetview) isn't an exact match for the one in the picture.

Even given the inevitable exaggerations that come with artists' renderings, the different address makes me think it's not the one she's looking for--although if there was another Church of the Advent, or if it had a different location originally, I'd think it would have shown up in the database.

So I put it to you, good readers. If anyone knows anything about this church or its whereabouts, please chime in.

Dome Sweet Home

2012-01-13T16:01:00.001-05:00

And now for something a little lighter, some great news from West Philadelphia.

You may remember the scaffolding in place during my visit to Cedar Park's St. Francis de Sales a few years back. Well, their work is nowhere close to being done--and that's actually pretty good news.

The following WHYY Newsworks story and audio presentation highlight where the renovation is and where it's going. (Thanks to Bob Miller for passing it along.)

Dome complete, West Philly church reaches renovation milestone

Led by head architect Annabelle Trenner, renovations have finished on St. Francis' dome. The remaining renovations the church needs could take 15--yes, 15--years. But the good news is that, thanks to Partners for Sacred Places and some good fundraising--they're actually going to try.

The Project says: about damn time!

It's good to see some action on what is arguably one of the most impressive churches in Philadelphia. St. Francis is unique because--well, it's unique. There's nothing else like it in the city. (If you even try to suggest the Ukranian Catholic Cathedral, I'll drive to your house and punch you in the face.) I love me some St. John the Baptist, but let's be real--it's not radically different from, say, Visitation BVM or St. John the Evangelist or any of the dozen columned gothic churches around.

But stuff like St. Francis or Our Lady of Hope or Immaculate Conception or even Church of the Advocate--I value them most of all because of how insanely special they are. These are one-of-a-kind buildings.

St. Francis's case is great because of how much damage the place has / had. I noticed some during my visit, but wow. 37 leaks in the roof? Parishioners taking umbrellas to mass? Ay carumba. I'm thankful St. Francis is getting the expert help it needs, rather than wallowing in decay (see St. Boniface) or getting a botch job that dooms it to destruction (See Ascension of Our Lord).

I'll close with one final thought from Trenner, because it's so lovely:

"Philadelphia has all these lovely beautiful secret buildings that people don't know—they're sort of like a hidden treasure," Trenner mused. "More people need to enjoy them and figure out how complicated they are and how beautiful they are."

And that is why I do what I do.

The Monday After the Massacre

2012-01-09T13:39:00.001-05:00

So, how was your weekend?

If you’re a Roman Catholic in the greater Delaware Valley,odds are it was pretty awful. Friday’s announcement that the Archdiocese willclose 49 schools (45 of them elementary schools) at the end of this school yearhit people like a brick in the face, despite months of intense and at timesdetailed rumors.

It’s times like this I’m glad that the schools I attendedare far outside the purview of the Archdiocese. I can’t imagine the pain oflosing one’s alma mater, and I extend my sincerest sympathies for those latest victimsof the Catholic closing carousel.

It would be easy—far too easy, really—for me to sit here andpaint the Archdiocese as a villain. Lord knows I’m good at it. The copious pictures of teary-eyed students certainly don’t help their cause.

But really, this situation is not so black and white. Thereal revelation of this past weekend is this:

Welcome to your new Catholic reality.

A reality where the institutions you grew up valuing—theparishes, the schools, all of it—can easily be gone tomorrow. A reality inwhich, despite what you were taught, your faith can forsake you at the snap oftwo fingers. A reality where it’s notjust someone else’s problem anymore, as city and suburb both feel the pain.

This is the Archdiocese of the new millennium. Strippeddown, laid low by bad management and lack of vision. Their empire reduced bygreed and arrogance, and probably not for the last time.

But for all of the blame the AD deserves—and they deserve aton—this is also what happens when you’re saddled with a system that’s outlivedits usefulness.

Families today are smaller and more scattered. As I’ve saidbefore in this space, we’re well past the point where we need a church on everycorner. The same goes true for schools, no matter how much it might hurt.There’s just too much Catholicism to go around, and you’re seeing the final,tragic aria of a bygone era.

Yes, as always with the Archdiocese, there is alwayscriticism, always questions. Perhaps more schools should have been given theopportunity to come up with alternate plans, like St. Martin de Porres’s recent move to independence. Or perhaps an increased Cristo Rey presence—they’ve beenvery successful at educating on a budget.

And some choices will be questioned, like why poorConshohocken was stripped of its one regional school, forcing students to trekall the way to King of Prussia. Or how in the world poor St. Veronica continuesto survive intact.

And on and on and on. We could spend hours debating each andevery choice. But for where we are now, regardless of how we got here, I’m notsure there was much that could have been done.

Not that it’s any consolation to those poor students andtheir families. Especially not for the parishes themselves, which will sufferthe most. Yes, they’ll be fiscally healthier in the short term. But education still rules theday, and parents and families choose where to live based on access to goodschools. If a parish can’t offer that, people look elsewhere, and it loses alarge part of its vibrancy, its future.

And that I fear will be the end result of all of this. Not agalvanizing of the Catholic populace to work together, to see what can be doneto correct the structural problems going forward.

But rather, a continued slow erosion, an inexorable exodusaway from the church and its institutions. Another signpost on the road toirrelevancy and extinction—for schools andparishes.

Because that’s life in this new Catholic reality. Ifreligion is all about trust, about believing that that which you give so muchto will always return your devotion—how will you keep your heart open, nowknowing what can happen?

As usual, I hope I’m wrong. I hope people are moreresilient, and Chaput and his minions are more innovative and prescient thanthose who come before.

But if I’ve learned anything from the five years I’ve beendoing this, it’s that’s the Archdiocese can’t be trusted to do the right, smartthing. That’s too bad, because you don’t get many second chances with thiscrowd. You don’t mess with the institutions people hold dear. Close a parish,close a school, and they’ll never forgive you, even if you have the best intentions,the best reasons in the world.

No, it doesn’t always make sense. But when it comes to loveand loss, family and community, it doesn’t have to.

This plan is alleged to buy at least 10 to 15 years of stability. The cure,though, may be just as bad, if not worse, than the disease.

Mailbag 30: Legalized Looting

2011-12-20T20:53:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays, Project fans! Put down the eggnog and join me for another thrilling installment of our mailbag!

(No, I don't care if it's the non-alcoholic kind. Have you looked at the nutritional label and seen how bad that stuff is for you? Yeesh.)

Project fan and reader Christopher Purdom offers the following note:

Thank you for your site.

You're most welcome!

I run http://www.philart.net/ which catalogs publicly visible art in Philadelphia, much of which is on churches.

And thank you for your site. Some really nice stuff there--check it out, if you haven't already.

I've been trying to find references to St. Elizabeth Catholic Church because in the parking lot behind the Archdiocese there's a crucifixion scene with a plaque that says "St. Elizabeth Catholic Church founded 1872" and no other explanation at all.

An email to the Catholic Historical Society who in the past have been helpful yielded no response.

But today I found your entry for St. Veronica http://www.phillychurchproject.com/veronica.htm which mentions St. Elizabeth.

Do you have any idea why the Archdiocese might have a crucifixion scene labeled "St. Elizabeth Catholic Church" in their parking lot? I'm thinking the statues might have been rescued from there, but I'm otherwise clueless.

Your suspicions are most likely correct.

While I don't have "official" confirmation, a few readers have said that scene was rescued (or, depending on who you ask, looted) from the failing St. Elizabeth Church. The fact that Philly's St. Elizabeth was indeed founded in 1872, and that the Archdiocese has a long history of, ahem, re-appropriating material from closed parishes, only makes the case stronger.

Oh, and for those who can't picture the statues in question, here's an image courtesy Christopher's own site:

Also if you're looking for interesting churches, may I recommend visiting http://www.tabunited.org/ some Sunday morning? It's a great gothic building with a lovely worship space in the original chapel.

That's an interesting place, as it's also home to the University of Pennsylvania's Iron Gate Theatre. A church and a performance space? A very admirable example of religious mixed-use, if nothing else. More churches could (and should) embrace the concept.

Big Changes Afoot....

2011-12-13T20:37:00.006-05:00

If you were in and around the Roman Catholic church this past weekend, you probably heard or read the following letter.

Pastoral Letter from Archbishop Chaput - December 8 2011 [PDF | 116 KB]

It contains some interesting tidbits about faith and complacency, which are nice if ultimately irrelevant platitudes. The real meat is what it has to say about Catholic education:

In the coming year we will face very serious financial and organizational issues that cannot be delayed. They must be addressed. These are not simply business issues; they go to the heart of our ability to carry out our Catholic ministries. The archdiocese remains strongly committed to the work of Catholic education. But that mission is badly served by trying to sustain unsustainable schools. In January, the archdiocesan Blue Ribbon Commission will provide me with its recommendations on Catholic education. The Commission has worked for months on this difficult issue with extraordinary sensitivity and skill. It will likely counsel that some, and perhaps many, schools must close or combine. It will also offer a framework for strengthening our schools going forward.

Translation: Catholic education as you know it is done. The true extent won't be known until the report comes out next year, but suffice it to say that the new Catholic education framework will be barely recognizable to longtime area residents.

The Project, of course, is really interested in schools inasmuch as they directly impact their host parishes. And most parishes are much, much stronger without the burden of a parish school. So, this is good news, right?

Over the next 18 months the same careful scrutiny must be applied to every aspect of our common life as a Church, from the number and location of our parishes, to every one of our archdiocesan operational budgets. This honest scrutiny can be painful, because real change is rarely easy; but it also restores life and health, and serves the work of God’s people. We cannot call ourselves good stewards if we do otherwise.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Spoke too soon. So not only are schools on the table, parishes are as well. There are some expected urban casualties (cough, Ascension of Our Lord, cough), but I suspect most of the surprises will happen in the suburbs. Those residents, I think, are about to discover that financial, maintenance, attendance and AD-mismanagement problems are not relegated to the city. When your people go, so do you--regardless of where you are.

More on this as it comes out. But if the early reaction is any indication--ranging from shock to anger to disbelief to grief--the AD is going to have a !^#%@$ on its hands.

I'm know I'm already running long here, but I just have to point out this part.

Finally, the resources of the Church do not belong to the bishops or the clergy; they belong to the entire Catholic people, including the faithful generations who came before us. The Church is a community of faith alive in the present but also connected across the years through time. The Church holds her resources in stewardship for the whole Catholic community, to carry out our shared apostolic mission as believers in Jesus Christ. This means that as archbishop, I have the duty not just to defend those limited resources, but also to ensure that the Church uses them with maximum care and prudence; to maximum effect; and with proper reporting and accountability.

Gah, there are just too many things wrong with that paragraph.

St. Bonaventure Revealed

2011-11-20T15:43:00.010-05:00

The late, great St. Bonaventure has bedeviled many an urban explorer. Its decayed grace just beckons tantalizing to all who pass it, but the inaccessibility of the owners--whoever they are--puts the kibosh on almost all explorations. And sure, the building isn't exactly ironclad anymore, but who wants to go breaking into an old church in the middle of Fairhill? No one I know.

Yet, somehow, Project reader Rob M. found a way. And he's kindly shared the spoils of his voyage.

So how about an interior peek at everybody's favorite Badlands relic?

!%@$# yeah!

Great photos, especially if all you've ever seen of this place are black-and-white historical images.

Two thoughts come to mind:

One, again, what's interesting is what the Archdiocese left behind. Vestments? Diplomas and trophies? Seriously? You couldn't be bothered to take that with you? And what's with leaving the clerestory windows?

Two, this place looks surprisingly good. I mean, sure, I wouldn't want to go have a romantic picnic here, or pitch a tent and spend the night. But for a church that has not seen literally one iota of human care in 18 years, St. Bonaventure looks pretty damn good. Some of the paintwork is still so bold and bright--especially in the side aisles--that it's almost hard to believe it's been vacant for so long.

This place looks 10 times better than poor Assumption BVM, which looks like it had a neutron bomb set off in its interior. It looks better than the last interior St. Boniface pictures I saw.

Hell, in many ways it doesn't look much worse for wear than Ascension of Our Lord. If I put pictures side by side, would you be able to tell which was the vacant parish and which was the active one? The answers wouldn't come so easily, I think.

I have no idea what the structural state is, but I doubt it's worse than Assumption. If they can skirt the wrecking ball (and signs are good), this place can, too. It's just a shame Fairhill is so far away from any sort of love.

Mailbag 29: Church Alley Update

2011-11-16T20:05:00.002-05:00

That's right! Time for an update from the Project's favorite place, from an anonymous source "in the know," so to speak.

I recently discovered your site, and I am a huge fan! I'm a parishioner at St. Adalbert. I know you really enjoyed St. Adalbert- did you know St. Adalbert is the patron saint of Poland? I'm not sure if that explains why it's more ornate than some of the other ethnically Polish churches, but it's an interesting fact nonetheless.

More likely they had more money and ambition. But yeah, fun fact.

I also wanted to give you an update on the other parishes on Allegheny Avenue, or "Church Alley" as you called it. Nativity B.V.M. and Our Lady Help of Christians have been twinned, with all the priests living at Nativity's rectory. OLHC is still having Masses, and one of the bishops (I forget which one) recently moved into the OLHC rectory. All three are amazing churches- Port Richmond is lucky to have them!

We reported on the twinning a while back. It's good to hear things are plugging along, administrative changes notwithstanding; I'd hate for anything bad to happen to my favorite seven-block radius.

I know you also visited Mother of Divine Grace. There used to be a beautiful painting behind the altar that was replaced by the crucifix in the 1990s. I know this because my grandparents donated the money to buy the crucifix from Italy. You know there are too many churches in your neighborhood when your grandparents who live in the same neighborhood belong to a completely different parish, but that's Port Richmond for you.

Part of the charm of the place, yes. Something you didn't see very often even back in the day, and something you certainly won't ever see again.

I wonder what happened to said painting--I don't remember seeing it during my *memorable* visit there a few years back. And no, I'm not curious enough to go and find out.

Have you thought about visiting St. George in Port Richmond? I haven't been there since I was a kid so I don't remember too much about what it looks like, but it's definitely unique in that the church is on the 2nd floor and the parish school is below it. I'm not sure there are many other churches like that around here, so it might be worth a visit.

Thoughts, yes. Plans, no. Barring some bizarre set of circumstances, I don't see it happening. Then again, stranger things have happened.

St. Mark -- Rittenhouse Square

2011-11-07T22:13:00.001-05:00

Boom goes the dynamite.

St. Mark -- Rittenhouse Square

Mailbag 28: Shared Architecture

2011-10-19T21:21:00.004-04:00

Know what we haven't had in a while? Hate mail!

Hit it, boys!

To Whom it may concern:

I was reading your write up about St Andrews [I may go to a concert there, this is why I was reading about it] and I came across a line in your write up that I take offence [mildly] to.

You wouldn't be the first.

"Catholics borrowing a building from the Protestants? How ridiculous!" Excuse me? Since we are all supposed to be one in Christ, I find that statement to be out of order. I would think that since we are all supposed to be one in HIS body, there would never be any qualms about sharing and or reusing.

Architecturally, not the case.

The two have taken very different approaches to design over the years, making Roman Catholic reuse usually untenable. Furthermore, Roman Catholic parishes in days of yore used to be social powerhouses, who took pride in building their own monuments from scratch. Not as much pride in using someone else's handiwork.

That's not to say it wasn't done, but those are the reasons why you almost never, ever saw it. St. Andrew and St. Stanislaus are the lone examples thus far.

I do feel that perhaps in the future, you be a bit more careful what you post on the web for the general public to read. I personally think it's things like this that can cause much misunderstanding and trust even if no offence was ever meant.

God Bless,

Terry

You may not like how we express ourselves, but that doesn't negate the facts. Our irreverence is always grounded in reality.

Besides, if people want take their cues on religious relations from what some idiot posts on the web, their views are going to be screwed up no matter what I write.

(Not that I'm necessarily an idiot, mind you.)

St. Martin de Porres Goes Independent

2011-10-16T14:55:00.006-04:00

Well, the school part is, at least.

St. Martin de Porres School has announced that it will go completely independent. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will provide some curriculum and benefits assistance, but that's it. The school will be run entirely by its board, the Friends of St. Martin de Porres School, who will be solely responsible for its finances and its future.

Get more information below--and thanks to Project reader Elizabeth Hildebrandt for passing this along.

Benefactors take over Philadelphia Catholic school

Partnership in Philadelphia could be model for inner-city Catholic schools

The Project: An interesting move to be sure, and in some ways an unprecedented one. There isn't extensive detail as to the "why" behind the move, but I think Archdiocese fatigue is a pretty big factor these days. Witness this quote from the principal, Sister Nancy Fitzgerald:

"This has provided a growth and a transformation for the school and a real sense of stability," said Sister Nancy Fitzgerald, the principal. "When I register new families and I explain to them . . . that we are an independent Catholic school and that the archdiocese cannot close us, their eyes light up."

Perhaps more telling is the Archdiocese's own position on this.

Church officials, who have shuttered more than 30 cash-strapped schools in the archdiocese over the past five years, applauded the agreement. Auxiliary Bishop Timothy Senior said at Tuesday's ceremonial signing event that he hopes it can be replicated at other strained schools.

"(This) is a new model which the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is proud and pleased to support," Senior said.

Translation: we have no idea what we're doing, and we'd just rather someone else do it for us.

You can't really overstate the impact St. Martin de Porres has on its surrounding environs, so the Project is quite happy to see the school thriving--and, by extension, the parish itself. Since it won't have to support the school anymore, it can rededicate its funds and focus to the church and the parish--and its beautiful building.

That's most welcome news.

Mailbag 27: An Old Favorite

2011-10-10T21:49:00.005-04:00

The Project's hostile attitude toward South Philadelphia makes it easy to forget that there's actually a few gems to be had. One of them is St. Gabriel, which we visited way back in the beginning of the Project, really liked, and then promptly never said another word about.

Hey, I can't help it if people keep emailing me about the same five churches over and over again.

Fortunately for St. Gabriel fans, Hidden City Philadelphia didn't forget. (Thanks to Bob MIller for passing this along.)

Inside the Shimmering Nave

Kind of a weirdly constructed piece, since it seems to talk about the large 1995 renovation in somewhat recent terms. (St. Gabe's has continued doing various projects since then, but 1995 was the big one.)

Nevertheless, it's good to see this oft-forgotten parish get some attention. And even nicer that Hidden City used our picture and even gave us credit for it. Take that, plagiarists!

Mr. Miller also gets props for one of the more unique suggestions I've received.

I know you very well might not take a suggestion, particularly one that is a. age wise outside of your usual parameters (too new) and b. outside of Philadelphia (near Doylestown). It is however a. Catholic and b. Polish. It would be the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa near Doylestown. Lots to see, there are some interesting parts of the shrine, even if the main church might be not to your usual tastes. There are some massive stained glass (floor to ceiling and at least 1/3 of the side walls) in the main church, mosaic stations of the cross, (original art work), massive altar piece, and a number of smaller chapels ranging from a plain country chapel in the cemetery to a replica of the Polish shrine in the homeland. There is also a lot of major sculpture in the cemetery. The website is not the best when it comes to working smoothly, part in Polish, part in English. Lots of pictures in the gallery. the best time to visit would be during one of their feast day events or the annual Polish Festival around labor day. You could wander and take pictures like the rest of the tourists, I mean pilgrims.

http://www.czestochowa.us/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/

Bah, I take pilgrimages to a whole new level. And yeah, maybe even those famed Polish architects had an off day now and again.

That said, well, we're capable of some strange things. Don't hold your breath waiting for this one, but you never know. After all, the only thing for sure about the Project is...nothing's for sure.

St. Bede Renovations Completed

2011-10-04T22:14:00.003-04:00

Almost completely by accident, we move from one Most Blessed Sacrament (MBS) story to another. Sort of.

Courtesy the prim propagandists at the Catholic Standard & Times:

Archbishop Chaput rededicates, blesses renovated St. Bede Church

That's right! The transformation of St. Bede into a sort of faux-MBS--last reported on almost exactly a year ago--is complete.

The picture on St. Bede's website is intriguing, but the Project will most certainly need to take a trip to see exactly what's been done. Who better than someone who saw the furnishings in their original environment?

And just because I enjoy needling the Archdiocese at every opportunity, let's not forget this little tidbit.

Virtually everything of value in the church once graced West Philadelphia’s storied Most Blessed Sacrament Church, which was, in its heyday, the largest and probably the wealthiest parish in the city.

Not everything.

Built in an era when craftsmanship was valued and money was not the principal consideration, MBS settled for nothing but the best, and now the best of the best is at St. Bede.

There's a lesson here, if you care to heed it. Oh, and look up the definition of "irony." Go ahead, I'll wait.

Stay tuned. There's more on this to come.

And now for something new: MBS

2011-09-29T21:25:00.005-04:00

As in Most Blessed Sacrament. You know, the parish I've gotten more emails on than just about any other. Haven't heard from them in a while, so how about a special return engagement from the parish that won't die?

Former parishioner Thomas Kildea writes in with some reminiscences and some questions as well.

PCP:

I attended Most Blessed Sacrament Grade School

during the late 1960's and early 1970's.

I was saddened to hear that the Parish has been

consolidated into St Frances deSales.

The history of MBS and its students along with the

enrollment rankings at its peak recently sparked some

discussion among friends.

My memories would suggest that MBS's student population

reached its apex during the late 1960's when an annex was

built to handle an anticipated overflow.

Sadly, I remember, the Kingsessing neighborhood along with

new student enrollments began their swift decline shortly

thereafter.

Was MBS ever the largest parochial elementary school in

Philadelphia? Where did it stand in national rankings?

Who were some of its more famous and infamous attendees?

Are any of the Clergy or Sisters still active in the Church. Sisters

Conchita(?) and Thomasina plus Father Kelly come to mind as

memorable influences during my childhood.

Sometimes I cry when recalling how swiftly things changed in the

vibrant neighborhoods surrounding the seemingly monumental

fortress towering above 56th St.& Chester Ave. Fond recollections

of MBS and my attendance from grades one through seven are

forever etched into my daily thoughts.

Any help with my requests will be appreciated.

You and a lot of people, Thomas. It never stops being sad, even more so considering the ease with which such things can swept aside by the time and tide of progress.

As to your questions, I can tell you that MBS was once the largest parochial school in the world. As to famous / infamous attendees and specific staff, I'll let the readership field this one.

If anyone knows, feel free to chime in.

Now Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

2011-09-26T21:29:00.006-04:00

I'm not quite settled into my new digs, but I'm close enough that we can haul this thing out of spacedock. What do you say we get back to business?

Sorry, couldn't help myself. I just don't have enough opportunities to use that picture, you know?

Now that JC's on board, let's ease back into some things with a mailbag special, courtesy an anonymous fan.

Hi there-

I enjoyed your website today- very glad to see the work you have done and are doing.

I used to live across the street from St Rita's, or at least part of it, that housed the homeless and had Bingo several nights a week back in the late 1970's-early '80's. I read your section about St Rita's with special interest. You posed the question "Who is Lucas E Burke?"

I did some research- he was an attorney (Esq) and was noted for his financial work in particular. He's the guy who made St Rita's possible. Attached please find 2 vintage articles about St Rita's mentioning him. He died in 1886 leaving his siter to handle his estate and she died around 1900, so how all this got hashed out I don't know but it finally led to St Rita's getting the money after both were well-gone.

The question in, err, question comes from #6 on the St. Rita of Cascia images. You know, back when I had the energy to provide witty captions for all of my pictures.

You can view the articles below (click to enlarge):

It's a funny thing, really. Mr. Burke died some 20 years before the completion of the church, but his will still provided for the purchase of the land and the construction. In a time when so many parishes struggle financially, it's bittersweet to remember a time when people were far more generous--even from beyond the grave.

Closing the Book on Cardinal Rigali

2011-08-01T21:12:00.006-04:00

By now, the news of Justin Cardinal Rigali's impending retirement from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is pretty much common knowledge. The Project concerns itself minimally with ecclesiastical matters, so there's little I'll add to the story.

But I did get to thinking. Now that we're closing the book on Rigali's eight-year tenure, how did he do in regards to Philadelphia's great parishes?

He was much better than Anthony Bevilacqua, that's for sure. That's not really saying much, since Bevilacqua never met a parish he didn't want to close. I don't want to rehash his disastrous reign, but let's just say that anyone who can give us such joyous occasions as the North Philadelphia Swath of Destruction pretty much set a low bar for anyone to conquer.

Rigali, by contrast, was much more muted on parish closings, but that didn't mean he was completely in the clear. Parishes closed under him include:

St. Ladislaus (Polish), 1648 W. Hunting Park Avenue, Nicetown
St. Aloysius (German), 26th & Tasker, Grays Ferry
St. Boniface, Diamond & Hancock, West Kensington
St. Clement, 2220 S. 71st Street, Southwest Philadelphia
Good Shepherd, 67th & Chester, Southwest Philadelphia
St. Iranaeus, 2728 S. 73rd St.. Southwest Philadelphia
King of Peace (Italian), 26th & Wharton, Grays Ferry
Most Blessed Sacrament, 56th & Chester, Kingsessing
Our Lady of Angels (Italian), 4970 Master Street, West Philadelphia
Our Lady of the Rosary, 63rd & Callowhill, Haddington
Our Lady of Victory, 54th & Vine, West Philadelphia
St. Stanislaus (Polish), 240 Fitzwater Street, Queen Village
St. Casimir (Lithuanian), 3rd & Wharton, South Philadelphia
Immaculate Conception, Front & Allen, Northern Liberties

:whistles:

Now, yes, Our Lady of the Rosary and Good Shepherd were reborn as Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and Divine Mercy, respectively, and St. Stanislaus, St. Casimir and Immaculate Conception will live on as worship sites, but damn, that's still a surprisingly robust list. It's headlined, of course, by the world-class St. Boniface and Most Blessed Sacrament, which were staggering losses to our church stock.

All in all, pretty sad--especially where West / Southwest Philly were concerned. Yeesh.

One can hope that incoming Archbishop Charles Chaput, formerly of Denver, does a better job. His current flock seems to speak highly of him, but the Denver Archdiocese isn't exactly forthcoming on his record when it comes to church closings. And given the state of many of our foremost churches, it's a pressing concern.

I'd like to think a new administration would be an opportunity for change and a new perspective on the city parishes. History isn't particularly encouraging on this point, and until proven otherwise, I have a sinking feeling that many more noteworthy parishes will be joining the ones above.

Ascension of Our Lord Revealed

2011-07-20T21:53:00.019-04:00

A little over three years ago, the Project visited a Kensington parish named Ascension of Our Lord. Tucked away at F & Westmoreland streets, off Allegheny Avenue, the church's robust Italian-Renaissance design stood in stark defiance to the crumbling decay of the neighborhood around it.

Or at least we presumed. We were denied entry, being told that the upper church was in such sad shape that the parish couldn't let visitors see it, to say nothing of actually using it themselves. To date, it is the one and only time the Fat Girl Principle has ever failed.

My inability to see this place long rankled at me--until my powers of persuasion (and a few choice contacts) helped me gain entry to this mysterious building.

Some selected pictures of my excursion appear below. (I've included these and the rest in the Ascension of Our Lord picture section.)

The fact that Ascension parish can't even use this church is proof enough that it's in bad shape. But actually seeing the place puts it in a whole new light.

In short, it's not a total disaster, but it's close. Water damage scars the walls and arches and surrounds the windows. Buckets lie here and there to catch falling paint and plaster, which mostly misses and lines the floors like a fine dusting of snow flurries. Construction accoutrements lie haphazardly around. Whole sections of pews have been torn up and removed, presumably so they can hold mass in the rectory.

And that's just the main section of the church. The real joys come from the auxiliary spaces, which are so derelict they defy imagination. A baptismal alcove that would probably be condemned if it stood alone. Back rooms littered with debris and old, unwanted items. Dirty hallways, shaky supports and places where wooden floors have almost completely rotted away. Oh, and the world's worst bathroom.

What makes this a particularly unsettling experience is the feel. This church feels like a veritable ghost town, like a structure that's been abandoned for decades. If not for the copious evidence of their existence, you would have to wonder if this building ever housed happy, spiritually fulfilled people.

But the fact is, it did. And it still kind of does. This isn't an abandoned church. This isn't a closed parish. This is a fully active parish. A parish that still holds mass, still celebrates sacraments, and, up until this year, still supported a parish school. And that's what really disgusting about the whole thing.

Tell me, Archdiocese of Philadelphia--is this part of your grand plan? How can you rest, knowing that an active parish under your watch is in possession of a building that looks and feels like this?

Sure, Ascension itself bears some of the blame for a church that, even 15 years ago, was purported to be in pretty pristine shape. But you're the landlord. You're ultimately responsible for them and what they do. And while you've been buffing your already pristine Basilica and wearing out your knees begging for pennies, you carelessly let a tragedy like this unfold under your eyes.

I knew you were callous. I knew you were cold. I knew your motives were, at best, murky.

But I didn't know you were this bad.

Not that it matters, right? In six months or so you'll tearfully announce the closure of the parish, citing declining numbers and failing structures. You'll carefully omit any mention of your culpability, of course, and attribute it to vague things like the changing of the times and the godlessness of newer generations. Then you'll strip it, send its ornaments to the suburbs, and sell it to the wrecking ball. And it will be a wrecking ball, no doubt, because no community group has the money to restore this place. And it's not like you're going to do it.

But I'll remember, as will everyone else who follows the Project. These pictures are proof enough of that, and you can never, ever live them down.

In another world, Ascension would still be a shining beacon in the darkness. The interior is expansive, the sanctuary fixtures classical and timeless, and the Paula Himmelsbach Balano windows are a masterful exercise in depth and color. And even now, at the right angles, in the right light, you still see some of that beauty, that promise, that ethereal splendor.

But then the clouds creep and the shadows grow, and it disappears behind a twisted mask of arrogance and greed.

I've covered nearly 100 churches, and this is without a doubt that worst thing I've seen yet.

Shame.

Mailbag 26: King of the Kooks

2011-07-19T21:27:00.003-04:00

Dig into the mailbag and what do we see? The Project has made a new friend.

I just found your site and was excited since i love architecture and churches

u have a good start to your site but need more pics especially interiors

I'm tired of being a broken record. From the second year on, just about every church has interior photography, and many more photos in general. The first-year churches will have to languish in squalor just a little bit longer.

I was raised up in SAINT GABRIELS PARISH and it is a beautiful parish

not weird but interesting u can be insulting even though it probably is your humor but churches are sacred places

and people can be touchy luckily i'm not..lol

I'm going to go ahead and assume this is some sort of compliment.

Where did u come from u hate to drive anywhere unless u can drive right up to it like a Walmart

Not true. I just don't like driving in South Philly, although my new GPS seems to have changed that somewhat.

SOUTH PHILLY IS ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING AND DIVERSE PLACES IN THE CITY

AND STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT DRIVING TO SOUTH PHILLY I'M SURE U HANG OUT IN CENTER CITY AND

SOUTH PHILLY IS NO WORSE , PEOPLE ARE MOVING BACK DOWNTOWN DUE TO ITS INTERESTING SITES AND CLOSE PROXIMITY TO CENTER CITY

Ahhh, stop yelling!

Again, South Philly is generally a lovely area, car travel aside. I do admire your interest in human migrational patterns, however.

ALMOST ALL THE CHURCHES IN SOUTH PHILLY WERE ETHNIC PARISHES..ST GABRIELS WAS IRISH AS WAS SAINT MONICAS WHICH WAS BUILT BY THE IRISH AND NOT UNTIL THE 1950'S DID IT START BECOMING ITALIAN,IT ALSO BURNT DOWN IN THE 1970'S AND WAS RESTORED

MT CARMEL WEHERE I LIVE NOW IS AN IRISH PARISH, ALTHOUGH I DO AGREE WITH U ON MT CARMEL AND ST NICHOLAS'S CHURCHES AS GOD AWFUL REMUDLED JOBS

ST ALS WAS GERMAN, ST RITAS ITALIAN ,ST PAULS ITALIAN, ST ANTHONYS IRISH ETC

St. Monica's is a rare case--a church that rose like a phoenix from the ashes. Most churches that burn, especially at that late a date, are rebuilt or remodeled in the most awful way imaginable.

See St. Joachim, Frankford. Yuck.

I DO HAVE SOME BEAUTIFUL PICS OF ST GABS AND ST CHARLES BOREMEO IF U WOULD LIKE

Yes, please.

AND BEING A SIZE QUEEN WHAT IS A LARGE CHURCH,ST GAB'S AND ST MONICA'S SEEM FAIRLY LARGE THEY ARE NOT THE BASILICA OF COURSE BUT 500 TO 1000 PERSONS IS NOT SMALL

ALSO SAINT GASBS WAS BUILT IN 1908 I THINK CORNER STONE IS HARD TO READ BUT I ALWAYS REMEMBER AS THAT WAS THE YEAR MY GRANDFATHER WAS BORN,BUT I WILL DOUBLE CHECK

Are you coming onto me? Size queen? I've been called a lot of things, but that's a new one.

I believe the recap of Our Lady of Lourdes said it best. Size is great, but ornamentation always wins out in the end.

HOPE YOUR GOOD EAR DID NOT FALL OFF, I GIVE U CREDIT FOR YOUR EFFORT,IF U NEED HELP IN SOUTH PHILLY I WILL BE GLAD TO HELP.....

YOUR NEW FRIEND

SOUTH PHILLY JIM

This from an email titled "CHURH PROJECT (u are kooky)"

I suspect that South Philly Jim is a few meds short of a full dose, but as my mother said, it's always good to make new friends. (Or something to that effect, I wasn't really paying attention.) Plus, hey, help with South Philadelphia. Who could turn that down?

Immaculate Conception and St. Casimir to Close

2011-07-15T21:44:00.003-04:00

Straight from the horse's mouth:

Immaculate Conception and St. Casimir close

Two things here:

1. Breath deeply, it's the Northern Liberties one, not the East Germantown one. Both are nice, but if you have to keep one, it's the latter. That one fortunately lives to fight another day, however vainly.

2. Not at all surprising. In the case of Immaculate, it was already a Dead Parish Walking and had marginal turnout for its one mass. I'm surprised it lasted this long.

A loss is a loss, but at least we get to keep the buildings themselves. These days, that alone is a huge victory, however bittersweet.

Cathedral Parking

2011-07-14T21:43:00.002-04:00

Project Reader Paul Marchesano offers a small correction to our review of the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul:

Just a little note to let you know that you were misleading the readership with your comment that parking is impossible. During the week, yes. But anyone going to mass on the weekends can park for free in the Archdiocesan lot adjacent to the cathedral. Just though tyou [sic] might like to know.

Who, me? Mislead people? Inconceivable!

The Cathedral website seems to have no mention of this parking arrangement, but it sounds plausible enough to be true. Nonetheless, the Project advocates not driving in the city wherever and whenever possible.

Saving the World, One Church at a Time

2011-06-09T11:02:00.006-04:00

For those of who you have the better part of an hour to spare, WHHY's Radio Times recently ran a great piece on the state of Philadelphia's religious architecture, and what can be done to save those buildings that have fallen on hard times. Kudos to Michelle H. for passing this along.

WHYY: Rescuing Philadelphia's Historic Houses of Worship

The panel, which includes A. Robert Jaeger, president of the awesome Partners for Sacred Places, goes in-depth into the issues afflicting churches and the options they have to survive.

To be fair, a lot of the stuff here is not drastically different from what we've already said dozens or even hundreds of times by now--congregations shift and shrink, maintenance is expensive, these places are a part of the neighborhood fabric, blah, blah, blah--but it's good nonetheless to see it being talked about publicly and seriously.

The most intriguing bits come from the action plan, the template that parishes can use to survive and even thrive again. And that, according to Jaeger, involves reaching out to both former parishioners and the greater community, positioning themselves as instrumental community assets. Think theater, musical performance or other public services. Doing so can triple the collections they'd get if they just targeted current members alone.

Or, as I've always said, fight. Fight for your survival. The world isn't safe for you, so get down and dirty, and do what you need to do. Ascension of Our Lord, I'm looking at you.

Hopefully, they and other churches take this approach. Even if Mayor Michael Nutter has expressed interest in this problem, as Jaeger indicates, the city has no money so we're likely a long way from any government help.

Oh, and props to Project fan Mezalick Design Studio, who receives a very nice shout-out.

Cristo Rey to Open in Our Lady of Hope

2011-05-17T21:55:00.009-04:00

If you're like me, the recent announcement that Cristo Rey plans to open a high school in the old Our Lady of Hope school resulted in something of a cross between twitchy rage and a complete foaming-at-the-mouth meltdown.

The article, in case you missed it, courtesy the good soldiers at the Catholic Standard & Times. (Thanks to Ken Houser and the others who forwarded it.)

Cristo Rey high school to open in 2012

Cristo Rey, in case you forget, are the admirable folks who specialize in Catholic high school education for urban and disadvantaged youths. Given that they tried to take over Northeast Catholic and were ridiculously rebuffed (as I wrote about here), you can see how this announcement rendered me apoplectic.

To wit:

“The Cristo Rey model has proven successful in 24 locations across the country,” said Mary Rochford, archdiocesan Superintendent of Schools. “We welcome the Cristo Rey Network to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and believe this model will prove most successful for certain students.”

Oh really? Then why were you so determined to keep them out of Northeast Catholic?

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see Our Lady of Hope get some attention, and the announcement gives me the first real hope (pun intended) I've had that the parish isn't going anywhere. I'd feel much better if the AD actually spent some coin to fix the place, but hey, one step at a time.

The bigger question is why the AD fought so vigorously to keep Cristo Rey out of Northeast Catholic, thereby saving their most iconic high school, only to welcome them here a couple of years later. I just don't get it. And if the Logan area is in such desperate need of Catholic secondary education, why did you close nearby Cardinal Dougherty?

The only logical explanation is that, again, the AD doesn't really care about anyone or anything but their own agenda and their own ego. That's the only way to explain why they closed two legendary high schools and refused Cristo Rey's explicit offer to save one of them, only to turn around and install the model at a completely new site a few years later. No other explanation makes sense.

I continue to hope for the best, but when it's clear there's no one competent at the wheel, you tend to have low expectations.

Greetings from Minneapolis

2011-05-11T11:40:00.000-04:00

One of the problems with doing a site like this--if you can call it a problem--is that I tend to be distracted by church architecture wherever I go.

Case in point: I just got back from a business trip to Minneapolis, where, on the way to a fancy networking party, I found myself waylaid by this beauty:

Ummm, yeah.

That's St. Mary's Basilica, the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The sign in front proclaims it to be the country's first basilica. Not sure how true that is, but damn, I have to give Minnesotans some props. This place is darn impressive.

I wouldn't hurry up and put Minneapolis up there in the pantheon of great cities of religious architecture, but this works very well in their favor. I couldn't help but compare it to our basilica, Philadelphia's own Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul, and the comparison does not go very well for the latter.

The exterior certainly is more impressive, at least. Its stately granite far outpaces the Basilica's dull brownstone, and the dome and the sculpture work in and around the face are light-years ahead. For good measure, it even adds twin spires.

Inside, it's a much more open design than our basilica, with the side aisles minimized and the focus on the nave. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with the interior, but the brilliant stained glass and grandiose baldachin outpace the basilica easily. Also, crazy design feature note, the organ pipes are behind the altar, in the apse. Weird, but it works.

Beautiful all around, and if you ever have a chance to visit I recommend it highly. As for the Archdiocese, hey, don't worry buddy. Your basilica is still pretty in its own right. :)

St. Helena--Olney

2011-05-06T22:58:00.002-04:00

You wanted it, you got it.

St. Helena--Olney

Project Flashback: St. Elizabeth

2011-04-16T19:57:00.005-04:00

Because you've been good this week, a gift from the Project's archive of photos. Or, in this case, artists' renderings:

St. Elizabeth, formerly of 23rd & Berks. Victim of the North Philadelphia Swath of Destruction, circa the Year of Hell. Consolidated into St. Martin de Porres. Suffered the Long Goodbye for several years before meeting The End around, our sources tell us, 1995 or so. Date of the rendering unknown, but the horse and carriage should give you a good clue.

Nice-looking place; it's a shame we never got to see it. Far nicer than the vacant lot that replaced it.

Project Rewind: Our Mother of Good Counsel

2011-04-07T21:56:00.005-04:00

Anyone who reads the Project regularly is well aware of my disdain for Bryn Mawr's Our Mother of Good Counsel. I call it stupid, I call it cold and uncaring, I call it plain and boring. Hell, I even had to craft a special theorem, The Hot Girl Principle, to describe the depths of their gilded apathy.

But the money poisoning really takes a backseat to my dislike of the interior, which is a bland, white nightmare, just like, altogether now, the rest of the Main Line. :rim shot:

Like all plaster churches, OMGC has been touched up. And like most plaster churches, it was done so badly, and its botched walls hide a far richer history. Witness the following photos, courtesy their very nice online history:

The damage started in 1973, and has been going on ever since. Compare those stunners with what the place currently looks like:

Blech. Not very inspiring, eh? It leads to two lessons, dear readers:

1. If you're going to build a church, use a stone interior. You never need to repaint it, you never need to touch it up, and if you do a modicum of basic upkeep, it'll last forever. See St. Martin de Porres.

2. If you still decide to go plaster, make sure you have competent help to touch it up. And keep your damn roof fixed so you don't get water damage and have to rip out the whole thing. See Visitation BVM.

Once you go plaster, it'll just rot faster.

St. Stanislaus, Queen Village

2011-03-30T22:25:00.002-04:00

You know who went there? This guy!

St Stanislaus Queen Village | The Philadelphia Church Project Review

Mailbag 25: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2011-03-21T21:05:00.004-04:00

Project fan Richard Aiello has some kind words, as well as an intriguing proposition:

Congratulations on year four. I have only one complaint about your site, it's that it is so addicting. I anticipate each new addition and check regularly. The fact is, I thought I was going to do something similar once I retired. I want to encourage you to keep it up. There is no source like it for a view at the churches in Philly. I just hope you will pursue the ugly too. I would just love to see what you had to say about Our Lady of Ransom on the Blvd. I have a picture from Ressurection on Castor. You said earlier you didn't think much of it. I get it, but it's as much fun to hear your thoughts on the bad as it is the good. Please keep feeding the beast.

I don't know of any treatment centers that currently offer programs for Project addiction, but if anyone happens across any, do let me know. As it stands, hearing that your work is addicting is probably one of the best compliments you can get. And even better, the only known cure is to keep coming back! Hooray!

Rich does raise an interesting point. We have, by design, limited ourselves to churches that are or at least have the potential to be old, grandiose and ornate. Sometimes, yes, we come across stinkers, but never on purpose.

But should the Project make it a point to cover churches that have absolutely no chance of being reviewed positively? Should we purposefully visit the bad and the ugly, the small and the modern and spartan, and tear them all digital new ones?

There's some sense to the idea. After all, we do often claim to include the bad and the ugly. Also, philosophically speaking, good can't exist without bad. Without ugliness, how we would truly appreciate beauty? And, too, it could mean more Project fieldwork.

On the flipside, are such visits worth my very valuable time? Perhaps more pressingly, it would take away from the advocacy aspect of the Project since, let's face it, I'd have absolutely no problem if anything bad were to happen to a modern, ugly monstrosity.

What do you think? Let your voice be heard.

Mailbag 23: Fans and Foes

2011-03-15T22:07:00.004-04:00

The Project has had a high profile as of late, thanks in part to Inga Saffron's coverage of us. That means the old mailbag has been extra busy, and the e-mails are all over the place.

Mostly good, of course, such as from new fan Richard Binder:

I can't believe that I only discovered this today, thanks to Inga Saffron's article in the Inky. I've just spent hours going through your reviews and taking a virtual tour of churches that I've only seen in passing and wondered about. Member of St. Vincent's in Germantown and really thank you for your coverage of the edifices in that area....

...Of the churches you've covered thus far, I'm really impressed with your scope. For those few that I had some knowledge of, I think your reviews are dead on. Like Inga's column, I think you're doing an important service here. Churches have always defined the landscape for me, rural or urban. They truly are the most beautiful structures in most environs, and their losses are our losses.

Well put, sir, and thank you for the kind words. Germantown may very well be the greatest single neighborhood for churches in the city.

Or take this interesting idea from "NBT:"

This is a great site and I got a lot a chuckles from reading it. You must have gone to parochical school....Do you ever think of doing stand up.. you would be great.

Sadly, church humor is unappreciated in most mainstream clubs. The funny bones of John Q. Citizen and John Q. Churchgoer are very, very different.

Of course, this also means the wackadoos are coming out of the woodwork. Witness this gem from "Crotchety Old Lady of The Week" Rosemarie Colantuono:

I find your review of St Donato's Church disgusting. There are more people who come back to attend Mass who live in the suburbs than who live in the surrounding area. I have been a member of St Donato's since my Baptism Day July 1953. My mother recently moved from "the block" after living there for almost 60 years and the only reason she moved was because we had to downsize. It killed her to move from the block.

In September 2010,St Donato's Church celebrated 100 years as a parish. The Church was packed with standing room all the way up both side aisles. They had to turn people away. You should attend Mass on Christmas, Easter, or Holy Thursday when the Catholic traditions are very moving....and the Church is packed.

Father Buccafurni is doing a great job considering how small the parish has become.

Keep your small minded opinions to the richer Churches if you want to brag. I come from the suburbs at least 3 out of 4 weekends to attend Mass.

Either composition theory isn't your thing, or you should ask for a refund on that St. Donato parochial school education, because I'm not really sure what your beef is.

She's apparently mad because...we said the parish was small? Like it or not, it's true.

The parish does have attendance issues. On that point, it doesn't particularly matter where the parishioners come from, or that the church is packed on holidays and special occasions. The average attendance--the people who come week in and week out--is all that matters, especially where the Archdiocese is concerned, and that number is painfully low and continues to drop. She herself even admits it's a small parish, so why get mad at us for reporting information that is publicly available to anyone who wants it?

For what it's worth, though, a piece of advice, Rosemarie: you might want to do a little research before you flame someone's inbox without cause. If you'd spent any time at all on our site, you'd see that we love poorer parishes and abhor richer ones.

That's because, generally speaking, the parishes that do without are friendlier, more welcoming, and far more passionate. That experience is repeated time and time again in our reviews, which you would have seen if you'd bothered to check. Sadly, St. Donato was not one of them, but that's not our fault.

The Project brags about nothing. We have no home parish and are not on anyone's payroll. We simply chronicle these places, generate discussion and talk about what we see. There is nothing small-minded about what we do. There is something small-minded, however, in believing one's parish to be perfect and beyond reproach or constructive commentary.

(All of that for a church that we actually recommended. Yeesh.)

Inga Saffron Digs the Project

2011-03-11T10:07:00.004-05:00

Of all the theorems I've concocted, I think the North Philadelphia Swath of Destruction is my favorite. It's got a great name. It's epic in scope. And it deals with one my favorite sections of the city, North Philadelphia.

It's fitting, then, that it pops up in Inga Saffron's article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer:

Changing Skyline: Philadelphia's historic churches: Do they have a prayer for survival?

Saffron, the Inquirer's architecture critic--and the city's most prominent architectural voice--examines the often-hopeless cause of many of our fair city's historic religious buildings. The Project, naturally, gets a mention as something of an authority on the subject.

Initially we were supposed to be interviewed as well, but newspaper deadlines forced Inga to file her column before we were scheduled to chat. A pity, but any mention is better than no mention at all, especially if it references the almighty Swath. And even if we didn't get our exact voice on the record, it was worth it to have Inga note that "your site is terrific."

Swoon.

New Life for St. Boniface

2011-03-08T22:14:00.005-05:00

Well, not the church, because that place is slated for the business end of a wrecking ball.

But the rest of the impressive campus is, according to a just-discovered item from the Community Design Collaborative. The post is from late last year, but there's no reason to suspect it's no longer valid. Kudos to Michelle H. for passing it along.

A New Life for St. Boniface

The Norris Square Civic Association (NSCA), which owns the property, is determined to use it to revitalize West Kensginton, come hell or high water. They've assembled a team of architects, engineers, historians and preservationists, and have so far raised $15 million dollars.

From the write-up (bolding is mine):

The team identified building and life safety code issues that ruled out several of the proposed uses and created an inventory of major and minor repairs to plumbing, electrical, and other building systems. Danny Rodriguez, NSCA’s Construction Supervisor and Cost Estimator, says that the Collaborative gave the NSCA a “sense of the scope of what’s to be done to bring the buildings back up to shape.” The feasibility study proposals retail and housing, improvements to the existing gymnasium that convert it into a true community center, and the continued use of the school as an educational facility.

The Project, naturally, will never be happy that Boniface was closed. But NSCA is at least doing the right thing and making lemonade out of lemons, taking the bedraggled remains of the parish buildings and doing something positive with them.

It will never, replace the glory that the church was, but as I always say, better caveat emptor than the long goodbye.

Around the Interwebs: Frankford

2011-03-06T11:27:00.003-05:00

The Frankford Gazette picked up on our recent visit to St. Mark.

As they put it:

I’ve been following the Philly Church Project for a while because they have reviewed some of my favorite places. I’m not too much in favor of reviewing churches like they were restaurants but it is what it is.

Like restaurants, eh? Well, that's not an indefensible position. But maybe if more people took this approach, we wouldn't have so many ugly churches. Just sayin'...

Ascension? More Like Descension

2011-03-02T23:26:00.006-05:00

It's Ascension of Our Lord week, courtesy a pair of e-mails bemoaning its sorry state and hoping for a better future. From Project readers Lisa McKinney and Colleen Moran, respectively:

I went to Ascension School and spent every Sunday in the upstairs church, it is magnificent, most pale in comparison. I hope the project is able to visit inside one day and pray it will be renovated. My youth was wonderful in this neighborhood during the 60’s—I graduated Ascension in 71/72 moved from Philly in 1978. However, the cost of maintenance during its prime was a burden on the parish, keep in mind that Kensington was a blue collar Catholic area, the church was always on families to sell for fundraisers and give give, give. The lengths they went are illegal now.

I would like to hear more about these alleged lengths they went to. Legality has clearly never been one of the church's main concerns.

But anyway...

I just stumbled upon your website while looking into ideas about how to celebrate my parents' upcoming 50th anniversary. Both of them have always described Ascension as being a magnificent church. Despite the black-and-white photography of the day -- and remember this was still Kensington -- so only limited professional expertise was employed in the photography department -- I can tell it was nothing short of fantastic. The round, squat, plebeian churches of my suburban upbringing can't hold a candle to magnificence of such a lovely and inspired structure. My parents have only taken me to "the old neighborhood" once, due to the unpredictable violence that has reigned for so many years. Is there any hope that Ascension can be saved?

No.

Look, the Project is as deliriously optimistic as the next guy, but that place isn't getting renovated, it's not getting saved, and soon it'll be another rotting husk or empty lot. The cost of fixing it is just too high. If Our Lady of Hope commanded $7 million for a church they can still use, I can't even fathom what it'll cost for a church that can't even be used. Far, far more than the nickels Kensington can scrape together these days.

You want hope? Go round up every alumnus who ever went there. E-mail, phone, go knock on doors. Whatever it takes. Track them down and use every guilt-trip you can think of to get donations. Who knows, you may make enough of a dent to get something going. I doubt it, but hey, wackier things can happen.

Just don't dally, though, because the longer the place swings in the breeze, the quicker the Archiodcese's hatchet men will be back, and this time they won't just be taking the children.

Oh, and also, SEND ME YOUR INTERIOR PICTURES OF ASCENSION. Lisa has promised to look for some, and while I'm not doubting you, sweetheart, let's just say I've heard that line before. So I ask the rest of you. If you have them, SEND THEM. NOW. I have no idea what the inside of this place looks like, or looked like, and I'd like to find out before it meets The End.

Archdiocese to Close 7 Schools

2011-02-28T22:26:00.005-05:00

The hatchet men at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are at it again, as news broke today that seven parish schools will be closed at the end of the current school year.

WPVI: Phila. Archdiocese to close 7 schools in June

Three of the closings are actually in the burbs, so only four really concern us:

St. Anne: Not a shocker, since it took a miracle fundraising campaign to keep the place open for this current school year. Your decision to pull out of the merger with the Fishtown parish schools isn't looking too good now, is it?

Strangely, according to the article, students will be accommodated at Our Lady of Port Richmond, but there's no mention of Visitation BVM. Too good for the other side of Aramingo?

St. Hugh of Cluny: If this continued existence of St. Veronica has always surprised me, this parish has doubly done so. Bad location, no architectural value to speak of. It's amazing this place is still around, let alone supported a parish school for so long. The aforementioned Veronica, their neighbor to the west, will at least get some benefit from this.

St. Cyprian: Refugees of Cobbs Creek can't catch a break, can they? First Transfiguration of Our Lord closes and gets demolished, and now even their school is gone. Cedar Avenue has to be looking pretty lonely these days.

Ascension of Our Lord: Now this is just sad. The homeless parish may not have a church, but at least they still had a parish school. Now they've got nothing. Absolutely, literally nothing. It's like kicking a puppy. If you had any doubts that this parish will be the next to get the axe, they've officially been erased. This place is already dead--they just don't know it yet.

I could sit here and wax poetic, blaming the Archdiocese and dissecting rising tuition costs and so on and blah, blah, blah, but by now this is an old story. We all know the notes, and we shouldn't be surprised when it keeps ending the same way. It is what it is, and it's a sad commentary on our priorities.

Get used to not being wanted, kids. The Archdiocese isn't done pissing on your dreams just yet.

St. Mark - Frankford

2011-02-23T20:32:00.002-05:00

Two churches in two months? 2011's looking pretty good so far. The latest is presented for your viewing pleasure:

St. Mark Frankford | The Philadelphia Church Project Review

In case you're wondering about that image, no, the Project doesn't have a time machine. I somehow forgot to take a main exterior shot, so I stole this off the internet. Credit to whomever it really belongs to. Date is unknown, but the absence of the El puts it around the early 1900s.

Mailbag 22: The Best E-Mail Ever

2011-02-19T17:06:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the absence this past week. The Project was battling a nasty strep infection and 102 degree fever, and felt well enough to do very little, none of it church-related. Anyhow, while my temperature has returned to normal, someone else's is skyrocketing.

From the mailbag comes the following anonymous e-mail, sans subject line:

how can anybody let that happen i went there church and school there i think the archdiorse has a lot of gut,s a chruch like that go down it has history and it GOD house they make sick

Your guess is as good as mine.

On one hand, this could be clever commentary from someone who's so mad at the "Archdiorse" that he (she?) has been rendered a gibbering madman. Or, perhaps more likely, was a gibbering madman to begin with. Either way, I laughed, so--well done, mystery maniac.

Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul

2011-02-08T22:36:00.002-05:00

A birthday treat for y'all. 2011 is now officially underway!

Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul

Props, by the way, to my camera. I often mock it as a piece of quaint point-and-shoot technology, but in a difficult place to shoot, it performed far better than I ever expected it to.

The Project Turns Four

2011-02-03T13:35:00.005-05:00

Happy Fourth Birthday, Project!

That's right! On this exact date four long years ago, the Project was born. Since then we've crisscrossed the city and its environs, encountering buildings, people and situations that made us laugh, weep, dance, clap, ponder, despair and more.

Who knew that chronicling Philly's religious architecture would be such an adventure?

Besides patting myself on the back, I also want to, as usual, take this opportunity to thank you, the readers, e-mailers, fans, malcontents and archenemies, for joining along on the ride. It's chaotic and not always pretty or even timely, but your support means everything. It's the reason this thing is still going four years later, and I can never, ever thank you enough for that.

I don't know what 2011 will bring, but it's good to know I'll be in some great company.

Now, who brought the cake?

Mailbag 21: Too Hard on the Main Line?

2011-02-02T19:44:00.004-05:00

A big surprise is coming soon, possibly even this week. In the meantime, Project reader Kathy doesn't think I was fair to Our Mother of Good Counsel (OMGC), the birthplace of the infamous Hot Girl Principle.

Did you talk to the pastor there? I doubt it. I am from upstate NY and have known Fr. Jim for more than 50 years. (He is about to retire). Anyway, during my most recent visit, I (from a blue-collar neighborhood) was a little nervous about the reputation of the town, NOT the pastor.

My friend and I experienced a pleasant mass and the people were all very warm and friendly. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome (we were there for a celebration). We could not have enjoyed our visit more! And that is NOT true of many parishes these days. I would encourage you to go back and talk to a different priest or members of the parish council.

"Alice"

Ok, maybe her name is Alice. I dunno, the e-mail sender had a different name.

Anyway, Alice or Kathy or whoever you are:

If I had spoken to the pastor, I would have mentioned it. Especially since Father Dennis McGowan left such a bad taste in my mouth. It really doesn't matter, though. Pastor or not, no member of a parish's clergy or staff should show visitors the complete apathy and disinterest I was shown. It's inexcusable. And if it occurred under the watch of your beloved Fr. Jim, then he's just as culpable.

As for the people, I didn't spend much time one-on-one with them. But having worshiped there and seen them in action, my impression was quite the opposite of yours. You enjoyed it? Great. Good for you. But know that there are at least a dozen church experiences that surpass the whitebread crap that OMGC has to offer. If you want to see what real mass and real community is, let me know and I'll point you in their direction.

But go back to OMGC? Ha ha. No. Just no. I'd rather get lost in South Philly.

Assumption BVM Photo Set

2011-01-27T23:42:00.004-05:00

Proving that good things do come to those who wait, Abandonedamerica.us super photographer Matthew Murray has posted his long-awaited photo set of the battle zone that was once one of Philly's greatest churches, Assumption BVM.

Was it worth it? A look at the above image should tell you all you need to know.

Abandonedamerica.us: Assumption BVM

The set is apparently still something of a work in progress, so more images may appear somewhere down the line. What's here is still plenty, however, and it beautifully reinforces the sad, tragic majesty of this place.

The Project, for one, is interested to see that the station of the cross frames were left behind. And we're still amazed to see the apse stained glass windows never left. Given that it's far better than anything you see today, could you really find no other place for it, Archdiocese? And the fact that it's still miraculously intact is, well, kind of miraculous.

Great, great stuff as usual.

St. Gregory Fire

2011-01-22T19:26:00.013-05:00

A note and some news from Philly transplant Michelle H:

While spending the holidays in my hometown of Seattle, I could not resist checking philly.com in order to stay on top of the news in my home away from home. It was on philly.com that I heard about the fire at the Global Leadership Academy on Lancaster Avenue in West Philadelphia. Having passed the school numerous times on the 10 trolley, I knew exactly where it was. Given its proximity to the former St. Gregory Roman Catholic Church, I had always assumed that the building was formerly the parish school. It was still a bit of a shock to see the burnt building with my own eyes when I rode the 10 trolley for the first time in 2011 on this slushy of Tuesday, January 18th. With the sign for the charter school no longer in place, the school’s former name was plainly in view: ST. GREGORY’S PARISH SCHOOL.

I had been contemplating taking photos in order to send them to the Church Project, but was not sure when I’d actually do it. As fate would have it, the trolley operator ordered off all of the passengers (for some reason) about a block away from the school. (That's the second or third time that's happened to a bus or trolley I was riding since I moved to Philly in August.) I took the chance to take some photos before catching the next trolley.

The area where the school and church are located is called Cathedral Park. When one takes Lancaster through Cathedral Park and the nearby neighborhoods of Mill Creek, Belmont, and Mantua (although to a lesser extent because Mantua is gentrifying), there is a great deal of blight and the area certainly appears to be ghetto or ghetto-like. Nonetheless, I have walked on portions of Lancaster Avenue in these areas many times during the day in order to catch the bus or trolley and have neither experienced any problems nor seen anything dangerous. My point is that for any readers who have any connection to the school and want to see it, they should not be afraid to do so. Of course, watch your back and be aware of your surroundings, but you need not be afraid of being killed. I saw a truck on the property on Wednesday and, although I have no evidence to confirm this, my gut instinct is that the City may tear down the building in the near future.

On a final note, when one travels on Lancaster Avenue from Overbrook toward Center City, one will pass the former St. Gregory (currently in use by another denomination), then Our Lady of Angels, and finally, Our Mother of Sorrows. None are technically on Lancaster, but they are all clearly in view. Additionally, all three are within close proximity to each other. Perhaps it could be another church alley? It is sad to see the school in its burnt state, especially in a neighborhood that already has a lot of blight. Nonetheless, the exterior of the former St. Gregory Church is gorgeous and appears to be in good condition.

For your reference, her excellent pictures of the damage appear at the end of this post. What I see is not pretty, and I'd be very surprised if the building isn't torn down. An inglorious end for the former St. Gregory school. And sad news for the Global Leadership Academy, but the Philadelphia School District has offered them temporary accommodations, and they were already planning to move to a new building for the 2011-2012 school year.

The Project, too, has passed the former St. Gregory a couple of times via train, and the exterior is indeed still impressive. The interior? Well, we won't know until we go. There's a reason the St. Cyprian Effect exists.

P.S. Picture 4 is our favorite. Sad, creepy and poignant.

Win One for the Little Guys (and Gals)!

2011-01-06T23:59:00.006-05:00

Nothing is ever easy in Camden, is it? Leave it to them to turn something simple into something, well....keep reading.

As you may remember, a few years back the Camden Diocese announced a sweeping plan to close or consolidate nearly half their parishes. Take that, North Philadelphia Swath of Destruction and Year of Hell! Ha!

One of those parishes, St. Mary, was closed early and without fanfare--sans farewell mass or anything--due to supposed boiler problems. But as luck--or more likely, Diocesan stupidity--would have it, the building was left unlocked. So in response to the closing, a small group of parishioners have taken up residence in the church to protest.

More detail below:

Philadelphia Inquirer: Parishioners hold out in shuttered church

NBC Philadelphia: NJ Parishioners Protest Church Closing

All jokes aside, you have to admire this kind of gumption. The parishioners have even started a campaign, Save St. Mary's Malaga, and the alleged malfunctioning boiler has been fixed. All good, right? Right?

As we all know by now, any (Arch)Diocese never changes its mind about such things. Whatever they decide, that's the rule, regardless of what the aftermath might be. I'm not entirely versed on the rationale behind closing St. Mary's in the first place (if there was any), but any logical organization would have to look at this and reconsider. I mean, hell, if parishioners are willing to camp out for an unlimited amount of time to keep the place around, then they certainly seem capable enough to keep the parish afloat.

Logic, sadly, doesn't apply to these matters. And while the Diocese currently hums that it has no plans to do anything about the squatters, we all know that's going to change quickly, especially as this becomes a bigger story.

For what it's worth, the Project salutes you, parishioners, and wishes you well. One word of warning, though: decide now just far you want to take this, because it will escalate faster and more dramatically than you may realize, and you'll have to make some tough choices.

Look no further than the story of St. Louis' St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. Lengthy and ongoing battles with the Archdiocese of St. Louis and a succession of archbishops (including our own Cardinal Rigali!) over control and closing led parishioners to break away and essentially form their own church. They've all pretty much been excommunicated, and their new sect has developed some interesting progressive slants, but you know what?

They still have their building. In this day and age, that's saying something.

Focus on the big picture, dear readers

2010-12-16T21:12:00.004-05:00

A simple one sentence e-mail found itself into the Project's inbox. More specifically, just the subject line:

is there a way to help asecion of ourlord out by cleaning it up graffti [sic]

Probably, sure. But you know what would help Ascension of Our Lord more? Giving them a %$@&#! roof over their head.

Wanting to fix up any church is admirable. But make sure you're seeing the forest for the trees, and focusing on what's really important. Taggers are the least of Ascension's concerns right now.

Project Facebook.....for real!

2010-12-13T22:27:00.003-05:00

We finally caved.

Effective immediately, yours truly has a presence on Facebook. Tell your friends. Tell your enemies. Heck, tell the random hobos you pass in Suburban Station. Let's get the entire Philly churching community in on this!

Not much there, now, predictably. But over time you'll see a lot of photos, especially the reader-submitted ones, and other graphic goodies our fans have been kind to provide. Links to other relevant Facebook groups. And updates and reminders about things that are going on over here on the blog and, even occasionally, the dusty old main site.

Get your worship on.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Philadelphia-Church-Project/172710236095519

Mailbag 20: The Sounds of Worship

2010-12-12T21:49:00.003-05:00

Project reader James Hale raises a point that, believe it or not, has never come up before. Way to go, James--just when I thought I'd heard it all.

To the letter:

I was interested in reading you church reviews that you never remarked on the bells in any of the churches. Two churches in particular have rather nice bell carillons. There are two in particular that I noticed were absent.

One is St Francis de Sales that is played briefly before mass and the other in St Charles Borromeo, which is mostly played after mass for a longer time and maybe when you were there was played before as well. I play both the bells and the organ at St Charles. As you commented on the beauty of the organ I assume you were there when I was playing. I generally always play the bells as well. Actually I fully restored the bells back in 2005. The action had been totally destroyed earlier in the century in order to motorize only three of the eleven bells. Originally there had been wooden sticks going from the second floor where the organ is to the top of the tower. I had to build a new mechanism using steel cables.

The set at St Francis is nearly identical except that it lacks the large tenor bell weighing 3100 pounds as their steeple does not have space for it. Only about three such bell works exist in the city. There is much larger carillon at Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square. It has 25 bells and as such is a full carillon. That one however is played by CD roms. The original playing mechanism is now in a museum somewhere.

It's true that the Project's musical inclinations are confined to the masses themselves. Why are carillon bells not included? Remember this little tidbit from our disclaimers page?

The Project is not an architectural, sociological or historical expert, so please take our reviews accordingly. We are a hobbyist and enthusiast, and to that end introduce as much information and detail as possible. But we don't know everything, and nor do we have the time to really try. Many times we simply go by what we see when visiting a church.

That last part is bolded for emphasis. We've usually had a very short window of time at these parishes, and unless the bells play during the time we're there, they don't tend to factor in our reviews. Since carillon bells ring at brief, predetermined intervals, it's not surprising our paths haven't crossed.

That said, it's still something we'll try to be more cognizant of in the future.

Assumption BVM Update

2010-12-08T19:55:00.002-05:00

Andrew Palewski alerts us to the latest Assumption BVM update, courtesy Plan Philly.com:

L&I review board to hear appeal on demolition of historic church

To summarize: Callowhill NA proved it has standing to appeal, and L&I will hear the case in January. And the wheels of government keep spinning. Hopefully the new year brings a new future for the church.

Mailbag 19: St. Donato Defense

2010-12-05T21:33:00.012-05:00

We move from a defense of South Philly to a defense of St. Donato. Carol Giacinto provides a passionate if rambling and borderline incoherent argument in honor of her favorite parish. Thus, I only copied the most salient pieces here.

You might ask why I'm even bothering at all. Ms. Giacinto may spend a lot of time blathering on about irrelevant childhood memories, but she raises some points I want to address.

Roll the tape!

You talk about a building having meaning but you look at the building ONLY or the current neighborhood ONLY… maybe St. Donato’s is not impressive to you but St. Donato’s forever lives in our hearts. When you walked into St. Donato Church you could not help but LOOK EVERYWHERE… The stained glass windows each tell of a biblical story. The altar mural is something I still can picture today with just a close of my eyes and the altar was magnificent… yes, a plain but beautiful marble altar meant to draw the eye to the altar mural so that you forever remembered that Jesus died for our sins…

St. Donato’s is HOME to many of us. It was not just a church, a building, stone and mortar… it was part of us and still is.

If you were booted out of the church as you say, it may be because the neighborhood is not the neighborhood it once was when the doors of the church were always open to anyone who had need to pray. When at anytime, you could walk the streets and feel safe. The church had been robbed more than once in past years so it is understandable that they would lock up pretty quickly after services. Also, with the limited amount of priests for the community, if the priests were needed elsewhere, the church would have to be locked up sooner than later.

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF ST. DONATO or any church parish you have on your list… GO ON FACEBOOK AND START A GROUP AND SEE THE RESPONSE THAT YOU GET BEFORE YOU JUDGE… YEARS AGO PEOPLE FELT DEFINED BY THE CHURCH THEY ATTENDED, UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS NOT THE CASE ANY LONGER…

Yes, that was the short version.

Grumpiness aside, she does raise an interesting question. Is it fair to suggest, as the Project regularly does, that a building is more than a building, while critiquing it on the very stones we seek to move beyond?

Actually, yes, because a) the Project was founded primarily for the architecture, and b) because that's not the only factor we examine. Despite what Ms. Giacinto ignorantly asserts, we never look solely at one thing or another, but piece together as much as we can from both the people, the community and the building to get as complete a picture as possible.

Perfect? No, but we do the best we can, and we usually get it right. A parish may be more than just a building, but it's also the sum of its parts--all of them.

For what it's worth, I never said St. Donato wasn't impressive. It does some things the Project likes, but also some things we don't. The current altar and mural are two of them. Ok, but not great, and anything but magnificent. Unless they've been radically changed from what you remember, I suggest you see some of our other specimens to get a sense of what "magnificent" really means.

What was more disappointing was the reception, and on that point, sorry, there's no excuse for kicking people out of a church right after mass. "Sooner or later," sure, but not while people are still praying or mingling. If churches in Hunting Park, Strawberry Mansion or Camden didn't kick me out immediately, Overbook has no excuse.

At the end of the day, the Project doesn't care what you or anyone else on Facebook thinks. Our site, our opinions. Don't like it? Get your church fix somewhere else.

Church of the Advocate Rewind

2010-11-30T20:11:00.003-05:00

Project reader Wayne unearths the following gem, an early 1900s-vintage postcard showcasing the Church of the Advocate:

I was surprised by the church's lack of pews and surmised that it must have had them at some point. Given this postcard's probable age and Advocate's 1897 construction, it seems increasingly likely that it never had pews, and instead simply always used chairs.

Not that it's necessarily a problem. I just wish they'd kept it arranged like this. The haphazard thing they've got going on now really doesn't work for them.

Mailbag 18: South Philly Defense

2010-11-28T21:10:00.004-05:00

The Project is making friends all over the place. From an unnamed fan:

I like and admire the work you've done. I am also a Catholic church buff. A little constructive criticism...

Thanks, but I don't much like where this is going. Sounds too much like "you're a great guy, BUT..."

You make too many references to being white in an African American environment.

What defines "too many?" I bring it up where it's appropriate and relevant to the visit. Especially since this is a travelogue of sorts, it's important to let other people know where services might be different from what they're used to, or where they might be treated differently because they're of a different race. See: just about every predominantly black parish we've visited.

And for what it's worth, I sometimes do the same for black people in a predominantly white environment. For example, Our Lady of Good Counsel, where I warned that you'll probably be profiled. Half-jokingly, of course.

You shouldn't question a culture's traditions. Italians aren't obsessed with statues. It's "weird" to you because you are not familiar with it? When you write "I'm not bashing the Italians but..," it leads a reader to believe you are implying something else.

I don't question traditions--see the aforementioned black churches. Again, the Project wouldn't be worth its weight in pixels if I didn't note things that seem strange or unusual. If I find it interesting, odds are a lot of readers will, too. The Project is snarky, but never willfully malicious or disrespectful.

As to the Italians, my own observations indicate that they value statuary far more than other ethnicities or races. Disagree? Fine. But respect the fact that having 100+ church visits under my belt gives me a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about.

From your perspective, South Philly may be hard to get to and difficult to navigate. It's a grid pattern - how hard can it be? Many people know the area very well since restaurants, cafes, markets, shops, sporting venues, etc have been welcoming people longer than any other non-center city neighborhood. When Philly was in the "Dark Ages" of culture not too long ago, South Philly was thriving.

I never said anything about South Philly being a terrible place to live or work. My own experiences indicate that a lot of things about it, especially the cuisine, are quite lovely. Navigating it by car is not one of them. I've encountered more problems in South Philly than I have in every other section combined; St. Gabriel alone took years off my life. For a veteran city driver, that leads to only one conclusion.

As you know, South Philly is a very old, working-class section of the city. Tight on space. Many churches were built to not draw attention due to Anti-Catholic sentiment. Ironically, the parts of West, North, and North East Philly that grew as people moved away from the older neighborhoods have since fallen apart. Some of the magnificent churches you listed had parishoners with money.

It's not as if South Philly doesn't have any nice churches. It does--it's just that a lot of the church stock is uninspired.

Tight space? Lame and lazy argument. Go pay a visit to St. Bonaventure and tell me how their severe lack of space hurt them. Anti-Catholic sentiment? Also doesn't fly. Most of the parishes in South Philly--or, at least the ones we've visited--were founded long after the Nativist riots, so their church constructions shouldn't have been affected.

Money? Well, sure, that's always a factor. But a lot of working class neighborhoods ponied up big-time. Hell, blue-collar, immigrant Port Richmond did it three times in a seven-block radius. So the Project doesn't have a bleeding heart for parishes that weren't able to get their acts together. We may take it into account, but at the end of the day, ugly or uninspired is just that.

Mailbag 17: Universal Church's Redesign

2010-11-26T21:53:00.007-05:00

The mailbox has been overflowing with good stuff lately. The latest gem comes from Sara Da Silva and concerns the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, the former St. Stephen. I've applauded the parish's passion but not their architectural stewardship. So severe were the interior renovations (or desecrations, if you prefer) that I've criticized them at every opportunity and even named them #3 on my worst churches in Philadelphia list.

Finally, someone provides a little insight. From Ms. Da Silva:

Hello there, I came across your site today about the Universal Church building Broad and Butler . (very nice by the way)
I enjoyed reading your critics.
I have been a member in the Church all my life therefore, I know the reason behind why they did what they did with the building.

I live in NYC but I had a chance to visit the Philly church a few years back when it was in it original state it was beautiful I must agree with you. However, most of the member that visit the church are from Latin decent and they are mostly devoted Catholics. Therefore, they did not want whom ever visit the church to think that they are just another Catholic church the Universal Church is Pentecostal and their theory of preaching the gospel differs from the Catholics. They wanted to divert from the medieval spectrum the building brought. Since the inside was pretty dark before, and the light bill too keep that building well lighten was far too high. Since we have services 4 times a day, and we are open 7 days week.

Another reason, is that the building was in a very bad state when The Universal Church bought it, there were many broken pipes, and many parts of the church specially the ceiling was costing the church too much money to maintain, and since it was a high ceiling before the old boiler used to break down constantly during winter in order to keep that gigantic building warm. Therefore, they decided to go with a more efficient and new age structure and we came up with the low ceiling that are very easy and simple to maintain rather than the high ceilings.

We did all of that to the building for our members, because they are the ones that keep the doors of the church open to all who needs help.
I would like to thank you on your critique it was useful and you kept an open mind. I am not defending my church in no way, but since you asked the reason I thought it was a good way to keep informed.

Methinks Ms. Da Silva gives me too much credit for niceness, but she took the time to write a detailed note and compliment us, so it's much appreciated.

As to the substance of her letter:

The energy and heating excuses are just that: excuses. St. Stephen has a lower church (or at least had, at one time), so hold masses down there until the weather improves, then open the windows and move upstairs in warmer and lighter weather. A lot of churches have tried to use this same excuse (most notably Nativity BVM), but it never holds water.

The ecclesiastical reasons, however, do hold some water, and that strikes me as being the real reason for the redesign. A building should suit your pastoral needs, and if it doesn't, then you need to do something about it. We've spent a lot of time assuming that what worked for St. Stephen should work any and all future owners. It didn't occur to us that it might not be the case, and as far as excuses go, this is a pretty good one.

Of course, it's still painful that they had to take their hatchet to a building as timeless as St. Stephen, but I suppose we can't expect the Universal Church to do what the Archdiocese should have done in the first place. And in the end, I now get the church's reasoning. I don't fully accept it, mind you, and it won't change my opinion on the place, but at least I understand some of the method behind the madness.

Mailbag 16: St. Bridget Update

2010-11-23T19:21:00.004-05:00

Great note from Project reader Michelle Kleschick on Grace Kelly's former Sunday hangout:

I stumbled across your site via a link on philly.brownstoner.com and I enjoyed an outsider's view of my home parish of St. Bridget. I am not native to the area, but moved here to attend school at Philadelphia University and loved the neighborhood and city so much that I stayed. The fact that I love our neighborhood church was an added bonus!

Brownstoner strikes again! I would think your neighborhood church should be more of a consideration than "just an added bonus," but whatever.

I wanted to give you an update on your comment about the plainness of the paint scheme. I can't remember exactly when it was (sometime shortly after your visit because I know that I wished they had done it sooner so it would have been done for my April 2007 wedding), but in the past few years the paint scheme has become a little more colorful. There had been problems with water leaking in through an unknown source which seeped into the plaster and ruined what I understand used to be a polychromatic paint scheme and wood paneling on the wall behind the altar. Until they were certain that all of the leaks has been found, a white coat of paint graced the wall. The repairs have been completed and now the wall is a soft pastel (is it horrible that I attend Mass there regularly and can't say for sure that it is yellow?) with a metallic gold design, including St. Bridget crosses, around the arched space. The color makes the white marble altar stand out, and show off, much better than the white. They also fixed the warped wooden floors, repainted the side altars to coordinate, and brightened up the side chapel of St. Joseph and completely renovated the other side so that it is now very colorfully dedicated to St. Peregrine.

Interesting to know. I always thought St. Bridget was a couple of pieces short of being a really, really great church. A revised sanctuary would go a long way toward fulfilling that promise, so we'll need to schedule a revisit at some point.

My husband is the organist at St. Paul Parish in South Philadelphia, and I have enjoyed those two beautiful churches (St. Paul and St. Mary Magdelene de Pazzi, and yes, the organ loft is as harrowing as it looks... he sits with his back about 6 inches from a low railing that then drops off two stories, not for the faint of heart! F.y.i., in the case that you need a new place to visit, they also have a lower church that they use in the summer), as well as all of the others that we have had a chance to visit when he fills in for an organist at other parishes. As for your comment on the organ at St. Thomas Aquinas in South Philly, I'm not sure if it is original, but it certainly puts out as much sound as your would expect an organ of that size to produce... my husband was playing a Christmas Mass and ended with a rather jubilant "Joy to the World" who's opening notes shook a few windows and made quite a bit of the congregation jump!

So, we have verification that St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi's dual balcony setup is as ridiculous as it looks. The designers of St. Thomas Aquinas live to fight another day--for now.

A reference you might enjoy is "Historic Sacred Places of Philadelphia." It is a beautifully photographed book with information regarding the architecture and history of churches, synagogues and other places of worship in Philadelphia. Also, I don't think the book is at all related to the group, but there is also the Partners for Sacred Places which helps struggling worship sites maintain their spaces.

Heard of the book, heard of the group. Haven't done much with either--yet.

I look forward to taking a peak at your site to get a little foresight on what to expect when visiting other parishes. I'm glad to know that there are other people out there who enjoy visiting these beautiful places in hopes that more can be saved for future generations to enjoy!

That's why we do what we do, aside from giving me a platform to feed my ego with shameless self-congratulatory prose. So put on your pajamas, grab a hot cocoa, and get comfy.

Incarnation Update

2010-11-21T17:48:00.002-05:00

Still no real news on what Incarnation pastor Gerald Piniero did or didn't do to attract federal attention, but the Inquirer discovered that he was involved in operating a type of pyramid scheme. Not good news for him, since that alone spells big trouble--never mind what the immigration authorities might have cooking.

Federal probe, Philly priest's exit, and his business effort stun flock

Incarnation Pastor Steps Down

2010-11-20T09:51:00.003-05:00

A little breaking news, courtesy the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Pastor steps down as feds search Olney church

Father Gerald Pinero, pastor of Incarnation of Our Lord in Olney, has resigned in light of a rectory search by federal immigration authorities.

It's not yet clear what triggered the search, but with a parish as diverse as Incarnation, perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that immigration is somehow involved.

Should Pinero not return, it would be a tremendous loss for Inky. He was a standout of the Project's early adventures, a young, personable, charismatic leader who delivered one of the best homilies we've ever heard and gave us a personal tour of the upper church, which was not even open at the time. Incarnation is one of the few true urban success stories, with its stunning diversity and strong support, and at least some of that is due to Pinero.

We'll keep you posted as things develop. For now, keep both Pinero and the parish in your thoughts.

Mailbag 15: Vatican II and More

2010-11-19T21:54:00.006-05:00

You started your week with the Project, so why not end it with the Project?

From the mailbag and reader George Nelson:

Friends First - - -a very big "Well Done" for your work. Your photos are clear and well set. And most important - they provide a record of a rapidly disappearing architectural history. While I may not agree with all your opinions - I greatly value your documentation.

Why, thank you kindly.

One of your most common critiques is the apparent repainting/remodeling of church interiors. For example - at St Micholas Tolentine you decry the remodeling, repainting and simplification carried out by "zealous pastor" for "no apparent reason". Well - there was a very big reason. In 1962 the church issued greatly revised orders, now known informally as Vatican II, for Mass formats, architectural & worship formats, and wide reaching "modernizations" - the largest of which was dumping Latin as the required language of the Mass. This lead to what amounts to wholesale vandalism in hundreds of Roman Catholic parish churches - and cathedrals - around the world, but most seriously in the United States and Canada.

And with our usual enthusiasm, North Americans took all to extremes. Magnificent marble altar pieces and reredi were jack-hammered to dust, irreplacable domestic and imported hand-carved wood work was axed and sent to the dump. Significant frescos were painted over. Figurative stained glass was destroyed in favor of ugly modern chunky stained glass. Architectural details were painted over or just plain thrown out.

Some parishes have begun, since about 2000 to re-evaluate this devastation and some have been restored, but many can no longer afford to even consider this action, and as diocese face increasing deficits, and local parishes are closed, fewer and fewer opportunities will exist. If you have opportunities to research pre-1960 church photos you'll easily notice the dramatic changes that occured between then and 1970. If you find those older pictures, they would be an excellent addition to your pages.

I've mentioned Vatican II from time to time, and if you want to know why the Project despises it, look no further. Not for the ecclesiastical points, but what those points did to our grand old churches. We've tackled the issue from time to time in our reviews--I don't have time to list all of the churches affected by it, but George gives a nice little summary of the damages typically involved.

Although Vatican II is mainly a Roman Catholic issue, Protestant churches haven't been exempt from wholesale and ill-advised moves, either. Witness the Episcopal Cathedral or one of our least-favorite churches, St. Stephen.

I don't quite buy that excuse for St. Nicholas of Tolentine, however. One, because the parish history attributes the renovation mainly as an excuse to make the church more comfortable, and two, because, tacky ornamentation aside, the place still more or less maintains the traditional design and nave / sanctuary divisions.

Other than that, I encourage you to keep up your efforts. I might suggest boning up on historic architectural style. And perhaps using a little more "gentle" language in your critiques. Maybe it would encourage those parishes considering improvements, better than only faulting past errors which they may well now be regretting.

Believe it or not, the Project has actually mellowed somewhat with age. Our earlier forays are more forceful than recent escapes, as we've embraced a more nuanced take on these buildings.

That said, we still wear our hearts and our opinions on our sleeves, and we don't hesitate to let you, the readers, know what we think. So what if the language isn't always parsed in the nicest way possible? A parish isn't going to give up on renovations because the Project didn't say "please" or "thank you." And sometimes these parishes need the little kick in the backside that only some sharply worded remarks can provide.

Project Mondays

2010-11-15T22:06:00.002-05:00

You made it through Monday? Congrats, you get a cookie. Or, more accurately, a picture of the sanctuary of Holy Trinity. You know, the parish that isn't a parish. Date of picture unknown, but the coloring and quality looks to be 1960s or 1970s vintage.

Visitation BVM Alumni Mass

2010-11-09T21:15:00.006-05:00

A note (and media!) from resident Visitation BVM expert Tom Lochhead:

Hi Project,

Viso had an alumni mass last week and I took a few pics of the Our Lady of the Armed Forces Shrine in the lower church and a few of the lower church itself. Parish is still holding its own - aprox. 500 pupils in the school.

Tom Lochhead

I sincerely hope they didn't actually hold the alumni mass downstairs. If so, God, they must really hate you guys. I wouldn't wish a lower church on my worst enemy. Wait, actually, I probably would, but that's a topic for another time.

Pics:

And yes, Visitation remains an urban success story, and probably the most successful inner-city parishes we've seen. Considering the awful neighborhoods they draw from, it's amazing they manage to keep a roof over their head, let alone maintain a top-10 decor and a thriving parish school.

Yes, sure, their status as a magnet parish can't be overlooked. It's not like they have a lot of competition anymore. Still, they're doing something right.

Holy Cross Altar

2010-11-04T21:10:00.002-04:00

Project reader Michael Mezalick passed along the following item, found in an old 1929 issue of "Quarries and Mills: Indiana Oolitic Limestone Industry." One of the more gripping monthly publications you're likely to read, certainly.

The text distorts at larger sizes, but we can gather that the altar is made of Indiana limestone and was carved by the Carl Furst Company of Bedford, Indiana. The architect of record is Henry Dagit, one of the city's more prolific church architects.

Alternate Church Uses

2010-11-03T21:36:00.003-04:00

In case you missed it, a gem from last week's Philadelphia Inquirer, courtesy Mary Beth Kearney:

Performance groups look to churches, synagogues as venues

"The richest cache of standing and functional architecture in our region is sacred space," said Robert Jaeger, executive director of Partners for Sacred Places, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit group that for 21 years has worked to save endangered churches and other religious buildings.

Newsflash: churches can be used for purposes other than worship. God may be responsible for their construction, but he / she / it doesn't need to stick around for them to have long and useful lives.

Metro Philly

2010-10-25T22:05:00.003-04:00

If you didn't catch the Project in today's Metro Philadelphia, the internet gives you another chance:

Metro: Decline in places of worship now evident

Not nearly long enough to truly cover the subject, but what do you expect from print media today? Any press is good press, though.

Flashback: St. Veronica

2010-10-24T21:59:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the lack of updates recently--we've been caught up in a whirlwind couple of weeks. Part of that has been Project-related, however, and you'll hear more about it very shortly.

In the meantime, take a gander at the above picture. Sanctuary of St. Veronica parish during a 1950s may procession. Good stuff, and remarkably not too different from our 2007 visit.

Holy Cross Addendum

2010-10-13T23:05:00.002-04:00

A small update to our recap of Holy Cross, thanks to none other than the esteemed Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center.

Just wanted to let you know that the present church of Holy Cross Parish in Mount Airy is not the former Epsicopal Church but a new building that was completed in 1929. By the way, I enjoy the web site. Don't hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance.

Shawn Weldon

Assistant Archivist

Good to know they're fans! And even better, we now have confirmation that Holy Cross's building is original. I guess the architect was just feeling very protestant-y.

The review page will be updated to reflect this new information.

Holy Cross - Mt. Airy

2010-10-09T22:46:00.003-04:00

Because I love all of you:

Holy Cross - Mt. Airy | The Philadelphia Church Project Review

Enjoy.

St. John (Probably) Won't Be Silenced

2010-10-05T22:45:00.006-04:00

Breaking news from today's Philadelphia Inquirer:

A ringing endorsement for Philadelphia church bells

As promised, Councilman Jim Kenney introduced legislation to add churches to the noise-exempt list. A hearing on the matter was unanimously in favor of it, including council majority leader Marian Tasco. A vote is expected next Thursday.

The Project: The Philadelphia City Council may be the most inept legislative body in the free world, but this is one they're potentially going to get right, for all of the reasons I enumerated in my earlier post.

I do, however, just have to call attention to this particular quote.

"I live across the street from the church and the church's practices of ringing their clock bells in the morning are very disruptive to my life and well-being. I find it very concerning that the councilman does not view the well-being of his constituents over the outdated traditions of a religious group," Manayunk resident Bill Leeper wrote in an e-mail to Kenney.

In an interview, Leeper, 26, said while he did not file a complaint with the city, he has been frustrated by the ringing bell since moving to his home in 2006. "I guess I can sell my house," he said, "but I don't feel like it, especially in this market."

Boo %@$#$@-ing hoo.

Assumption Developments

2010-10-02T21:15:00.003-04:00

So it seems that Assumption BVM may not have actually burned through its nine lives. Or, perhaps more fittingly, it actually has more than the standard nine.

This update is courtesy a couple of recent developments that give us hope that Assumption, despite circling the drain more times than we can count, may yet be saved. The first comes from Inga Saffron, the Philadelphia Inquirer's architecture maven. The second, PlanPhilly.

Changing Skyline: Historic Church of the Assumption needs buyer, not wrecking ball

State historical commission seeks to block Church of the Assumption demolition

So to summarize: the Callowhill Neighborhood Association (CNA) is appealing the Philadelphia Historical Commission's decision. Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has vowed to do what the city agency wouldn't, and fight the demolition, including blocking the use of state funds to pay for it. And now interested developers are coming forward, including Bart Blatstein, the guy who almost singlehandedly remade Northern Liberties into a hipster paradise. They say that Siloam never tried long or hard enough to sell the building, and that they'd certainly love to use the property properly.

Oh, and also this week, a source close to Siloam revealed that Callowhill's appeal has basically forced their hand and emptied their wallets, so they've laid off all of their staff and are closing temporarily to save money.

Whew.

Of course, Siloam's "closing" may just be a PR stunt, the developers may really not be that interested, and the state commission really doesn't have as much power as they'd like to think.

Still, if you buy the theory that "where there's smoke, there's fire," then you have to like these developments. It shows, thankfully, that people are not just going to sit back and let Siloam and the city historical commission commit the arcitectural equivalent of highway robbery. This church is big news now, which is exactly what Siloam didn't want, and now they just might have far more than they bargained for.

Bad news for them is good news for us.

Our Lady of Good Counsel

2010-09-28T20:52:00.005-04:00

The mailbag rings anew:

Do you happen to have any info about our Lady of Good Counsel in South Philadelphia? I know it closed but thats about it. I can't find a photo of the structure anywhere. By the way...I love the site.

Thank you kindly.

Re: Our Lady of Good Counsel. Most of what the Project has comes from histories obtained from St. Nicholas of Tolentine and the Archdiocese itself. To briefly summarize:

Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) was founded around 8th & Christian streets in 1898 to minister to Italian-Americans in the area; a church was constructed and dedicated the following year. In 1912, the parish established the mission chapel of St. Nicholas, farther south at 9th & Watkins, to minister to families who moved farther and farther from OLGC.

By the 1920s, the parish population dwindled so much that the Archdiocese closed it in 1932; any Italian ministering could be done by other local parishes, including St. Nicholas, and the nearby presence of territorial St. Paul made OLGC extraneous.

Some of that doesn't really make a lot of sense, especially the point about the mission chapel surviving while the main parish dies. It's especially galling because, from what we've heard, OLGC was a much nicer building than St. Nicholas. Project reader Terry Callen opines that OLGC "had it all over St. Nick's."

Such is the life of Archdiocesan parishes.

The PAHRC probably has the best surviving pictures of the building, so there are none we can readily reproduce here. If anyone has any, though, or any additional information you wish to share, please do.

UPDATE 9/29: Melissa at the Historical Society of Philadelphia provided a photo and some additional history.

Nice looking building. All over St. Nick's indeed.

2010-09-22T21:33:00.003-04:00

From one closed parish to another. As I first wrote around a year and a half ago, Holland's St. Bede the Venerable is sort of becoming the new Most Blessed Sacrament, thanks to an infusion of much of MBS' ornamentation.

If you can suppress your gag reflex long enough, The Catholic Standard & Times provides an update:

Renovation Turns Past Intro Present
St. Bede the Venerable Parish reaches out to Most Blessed Sacrament’s parishioners — through art

Not much to write home about yet, although we now have a timetable of next year for completion of the renovations. The Project will almost certainly pay a visit when the time comes.

Brownstoner Philadelphia

2010-09-19T21:48:00.004-04:00

Another perspective on Assumption BVM, as if you needed one.

Brownstoner - Philadelphia: Farewell to Philly's Church of the Assumption

More photos, plus they quote the Project. Can't argue with that!

But even if they didn't, it's still a really cool site about development in and around the city; after Philly Skyline packed it in, it's next best thing. Check it out.

Assumption BVM Interior Photos

2010-09-15T21:32:00.005-04:00

Any more posts on this topic, and I may have start calling this the Assumption BVM Project. This one, however, is too good to pass up.

From Project reader Thad:

In March 2009, I had the opportunity to take photos of the interior of the Assumption of the BVM Church. (With permission, no trespassing.)

I'm sure you'd be interested in seeing them, here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/contrabass/sets/72157616239414392/

Truly a tragic situation. I fear it really may be beyond any reasonable attempts to repair it at this point. That interior is entirely of plaster, and it's all been heated, frozen, and wet for 15 years now. Stabilizing the structure and roof etc would only be the beginning... I have other interior shots if you're interested in seeing more.

Regards from a fan of Philly Church Project

Click on the link for the rest. Top-notch stuff. Abandonedamerica.org super photographer Matthew Murray is still supposedly working on his set, but this will more than tide you over until then.

The End for Assumption BVM

2010-09-12T13:23:00.003-04:00

"What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."

--Oscar Wilde

Assumption's nine lives have officially, finally run out. From Andrew Paleswki:

In spite of our efforts, The Historical Commission ruled in favor of awarding hardship to the owner of the Church of the Assumption on Spring Garden Street. A number of people testified over the past week including myself, John Gallery of the Preservation Alliance, Amy Hooper and Sarah McEneany of the Callowhill Neighborhood Association, Alex Generalis of M&G Real Estate, David Traub of Save Our Sites, and numerous others. Some very strong and convincing arguments were made in support of saving the building. In the end, the Commission was deadlocked in a 5 to 5 vote. Sam Sherman, Commission Chair, cast the deciding vote to allow demolition.

Here is the latest, from the Inquirer, on yesterday's decision:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20100911_Historic_Philadelphia_church_to_be_torn_down.html

I want to thank everyone who supported the preservation of this church over the past 18 months. We'll see what happens next.

Andy Palewski

There's nothing more I can say at this point, really. You just have to shake your head at a system where a church's original owners abandon one of their most historic properties for no good reason; where the new owners wantonly mutilate the building and get rewarded it for it; and where a developer is able to cast the deciding vote in whether to allow demolition.

A sad fate, made even sadder by the fact that none of it was necessary. And no one involved in this mess comes out looking good. Not the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, not Siloam Wellness, and not the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

We'll keep you posted on the demolition.

The Bells of St. John the Baptist

2010-09-10T23:53:00.003-04:00

According to a September 9 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the city of Philadelphia has issued a formal warning to Manayunk's St. John the Baptist that their 3 1/2 ton clocktower bell, installed and in use almost consistently since 1906, is too loud. The warning originated from a complaint of a neighbor of the church, who wants the bells--which currently chime three times a day, at 7 a.m., 12 noon and 6 p.m.--silenced because they're "disrupting her quality of life." Failure to comply could carry a $700 per day fine.

In a second article in the Inquirer, dated September 10, Councilman Jim Kenney, whose district includes Manayunk, called the warning and threat "silly," and said he would draft legislation to amend the current noise laws to exempt churches and schools.

The Project: It was barely two days ago that I stated I had seen it all. Now, a mere 48 hours later, I'm forced to retract that statement. Complaining about church bells? That's cold.

There's understandably a lot of reaction to this incident, and a lot of opinions being bandied about. This isn't a Roman Catholic issue or even a religious issue. What this is really is about is entitlement--the sense of self-importance that comes from some people believing that the world should suit their needs and kowtow to their whims, regardless of how ridiculous they may be.

The Project, naturally, sides with St. John the Baptist. You don't like the bell? Fine, move. But you don't get the right to move in and suddenly destroy something that's been around far longer than you have. The parish is nearly 170 years old; the church itself is 106, and the bell 104, and it's been ringing ever since with nary a complaint. It's earned the right to do whatever the hell it wants, you haven't, so shut the $@#% up and deal with it.

The city's involvement does complicate things, and we can only hope Councilman Kenney's involvement is more than just hot air. City Council's general incompetence isn't encouraging, but they do tend to excel at weird and sometimes trivial things. Hopefully this is one of those times.

And really, in an area that gets far more disruption from constant bar fights, public urination, heavy traffic and other general rowdiness, the fact that a church bell upsets you really says something about your priorities.

Ring it loud and ring it proud, St. John.

Final hearing for the Church of the Assumption

2010-09-09T21:25:00.001-04:00

Hot off the presses, courtesy Andrew Paleswki:

RE: Church of the Assumption at 12th & Spring Garden Streets

As most of you know, I, and several neighbors placed the Church of the Assumption on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places last year. The owner, Siloam Ministries, had been very secretive about its plans to demolish the building but we found out in time to save it and the Historical Commission stopped the building from being torn down.

Now, Siloam is applying for “hardship” with the Commission, claiming that they don’t want the church, can’t afford to fix it, and that no one wants to buy it. Several people have tried to buy the church in the last year but the owner has been tactful in dissuading them from following through (e.g. they destroyed many of the interior elements just before one buyer was about to purchase the building in July 2009).

The Historical Commission hearing will be held on Friday, September 10, at 9:00 AM at 1515 Arch Street, Room 18-029. It is open to the public.

I strongly encourage anyone who wants to see this building survive to attend this hearing. A decision will be reached that will determine the fate of the landmark.

Recent press coverage:
http://planphilly.com/without-buyer-historic-church-remains-limbo
http://planphilly.com/historical-commission-committee-oks-owners-request-demolish-historic-church

Thanks for all of your support.

Andy Palewski

A New Level of Devotion

2010-09-08T22:45:00.005-04:00

You think we love churches? Just read this letter from Project reader Melissa:

Just perused your site -- I absolutely love it. Thank you so much! I came across it because I need a good pic of Nativity B.V.M. in Port Richmond. That's my parish and I think it's one of the most beautiful churches. I have never been in Our Lady Hope of Christians, and it was heartbreaking to see the sad state that it is in. I am planning a tat for my back of Nativity - just trying to find a good pic with a good angle! Thanks again, I will def. check out more of your churches!

Yes, that's right. She's getting a picture of Nativity BVM tattooed on her back. Not this exact picture, evidently, but a picture.

I think I can now safely say I've seen it all.

Godspeed, Melissa. And if you do happen to use one of our photos, feel free to also tattoo a photo attribution on as well. If there's a better advertising opportunity for the Project, I can't think of it.

The Philadelphia Church Project's Bottom 10: #1

2010-09-06T20:28:00.006-04:00

Happy Labor Day to all those in Projectland! As we celebrate our workaholism by actually taking a day off, let's mark the occasion by finally getting around to naming church #1 on our Bottom 10 list.

That's right. The pretenders are gone, and one very, very unlucky church has the indignity of being named the very, very worst church we've seen. Without further ado--drumroll, fellas.....

The Worst Church: St. Nicholas of Tolentine

Why They're Here: It's modern, through and through. Shag carpeting, ugly psychedelic windows, and a complete absence of anything the Project would deem passable. This is one bad church, and what's left of the original exterior can't save it.

Why They're #1: Ah, here's the rub. Modernist architecture, while abhorrent, isn't enough to put you at the top of this list. But it does in the case of St. Nicholas, for two very important reasons:

1. They did it to themselves: That's right, none of this was needed. Unlike most Tabula Rasa churches, which repair and renovate only as needed, St. Nicholas went above and beyond. Actually, it's pretty much almost Pimp My Church territory.

Some repairs are necessary over the life of a classic church, and some, while tragic, are understandable. But this was not a case of necessity--this was a case of hubris coupled with poor taste. And now those renovations are hopelessly dated and hopelessly ugly.

2. It's still housed in the old building. You want to be modern? Fine. Tear down your church and start again. But don't take your classic shell and butcher it. It's a bad idea because you end up plastering over important stuff and blocking up the old windows and basically making a mockery of the place. But it's especially bad because it fools people. (cough, the Project, cough). You see an old building, you expect an old interior. Not a modernist nightmare. The only thing worse than new church architecture is new church architecture that masquerades as something far better.

3. They have delusions of grandeur. Did I say two? I meant three. Also damning is the attitude of the parishioners, who have so bought into the renovations that they can't see just how hideous this is. I've been harsh to many a church, but this was the only one that spawned angry letters berating me for my lack of sensitivity, good manners, breeding, etc. Get over it, and yourselves, people.

I could rant endlessly about this place, but the more I say the angrier I get, so let's just cut it here. St. Nicholas of Tolentine, for these crimes against ecclesatical architecture, you are hereby named the Philadelphia Church Project's #1 Worst Church.

Congratulations!!!

UPDATE: Assumption's Last Chance

2010-08-27T14:29:00.005-04:00

Contrary to what we reported in our last post, the doddering corpse of Assumption BVM may not yet be finished. From the man-in-the-know himself, Andrew Palewski:

As most of you know, I, and several neighbors placed the Church of the Assumption on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places last year. The owner, Siloam Ministries, had been very secretive about its plans to demolish the building but we found out in time to save it and the Historical Commission stopped the building from being torn down.

Now, Siloam is applying for “hardship” with the Commission, claiming that they don’t want the church, can’t afford to fix it, and that no one wants to buy it. Several people have tried to buy the church in the last year but the owner has been tactful in dissuading them from following through (e.g. they destroyed many of the interior elements just before one buyer was about to purchase the building in July 2009).

The Hardship Committee hearing will be held on Wednesday, September 8, at 1:00 PM in room 578 at City Hall. It is open to the public.

I strongly encourage anyone who wants to see this building survive to attend this hearing. A decision will be reached that will determine the fate of the landmark.

Apparently, the approval of the Historical Commission is only the penultimate hoop Siloam has to jump through. To outright earn permission to knock Assumption down, they need to prove one of three things:

1. that it is in the public interest to do so.
2. that the owner is suffering from financial hardship and that the property can't reasonably be sold.
3. that the building itself presents a hardship (e.g. it is a danger to the public)

It is the second one Siloam will attempt to demonstrate on September 8, although they claim to have enough ammo for both #'s 2 and 3. As previous press coverage notes, both claims are dubious.

We'll see how this plays out. Assumption surprised us last year, but even cats have only nine lives; sooner or later, pending a sale or Siloam's evacuation of the property, I suspect this church and the West Poplar NAC will run out of tricks.

And yes, as Andy requests, do attend the meeting if you can.

Assumption's Death Warrant

2010-08-25T12:58:00.003-04:00

Well, that didn't take long.

Plan Philly: Historical Commission committee OKs owner's request to demolish historic church

R.I.P., Assumption. You deserved far better than you've gotten. But unfortunately, you had the rotten luck to have two of the worst landlords around.

If you have any desire to see this place, now's the time. Knowing Siloam, demolition will take place sooner rather than later.

Assumption BVM in Danger Once More

2010-08-24T21:55:00.002-04:00

West Poplar's Assumption BVM won historic designation last April, but as we know, that guarantees nothing. As if you needed proof, everybody's favorite HIV wellness non-profit, Siloam, is still trying to get the building knocked down.

On August 24 the organization will go again before the Philadelphia Historical Commission to claim financial hardship, saying that there are no buyers for the building and they don't have the resources to care for the dilapidated structure. Andrew Palewski and the West Poplar NAC will almost certainly oppose, yet again.

Plan Philly: Without a buyer, historic church remains in limbo

The Project: It's clearer now than ever before that Siloam never wanted the property and has been doing everything in their power to get rid of it. Most damning is the fact that, even with an interested buyer, they proceeded with a callous interior demolition that destroyed most of the remaining ornamentation and made it significantly harder to sell.

(It's equally amazing that said ornamentation, including plaster, was more or less still intact in 2009. As the Project opined when we first visited the church, they really did know how to build them back then.)

Andrew, if you're reading, please keep us posted.

How to Obtain Church Records

2010-08-23T00:00:00.004-04:00

It's not hard, really. But some people fail to grasp the concept. Case in point, the following reader whose name will be withheld for her own sake:

I am trying to get some information that would be in St. Henry's Church records. I see from the internet that they are at Incarnation Church, but do not know how to access that information.

I get a lot of e-mails like this, so for the sake of my sanity, let's answer this question once and for all.

1. Find out which church has the records. If it's a Roman Catholic church, go to http://archphila.org/parishes/index.htm to look it up; if the parish is closed, they will tell you which one currently holds the records. When it doubt, or when dealing with a Protestant parish, use a search engine.

2. Contact them. They have all telephone numbers. Call them and see what magical things happen. You may even be able to send them an e-mail.

See? Wasn't that easy? I hate to get condescending, but you would too when confronted with a barrage of e-mails that can easily be answered in 5 minutes via Google search. Or even Yahoo! or another lesser search engine.

So please, DON'T ASK ME AGAIN ABOUT RECORDS. I have no more insight or resources on this than you or Google, and all I'll do is repeat the advice provided above. And if the church won't answer you, I'm sorry. No, I don't know their secretary by name.

Now, in this specific e-mail, the reader--let's call her Mabel--already did the hard work. She found out, quite correctly, that St. Henry was Swath'd in 1993 and transferred its records to Incarnation of Our Lord. But when confronted with the news that Incarnation has the records, and contact information pointing to Incarnation, she throws up her hands in a tizzy.

Mabel, parish records will not just jump out of your computer at you. Here's an idea: the same place that tells you that Incarnation has the records will no doubt offer a telephone number. Pick it up and call them. I imagine the conversation could go something like this:

Ringy Dingy

:INCARNATION: Lift high the cross! Thank you for calling Incarnation of Our Lord parish! How may I help you?

:MABEL: Ah, yes, hi, I'd like to inquire about some spiritual records from the old St. Henry parish.

:INCARNATION: Oh yes, we certainly do! Such a shame about that parish, don't you think? Just hold one moment please and then I'll get all of your information and see what we can do for you.

Even if they're not especially polite, and some secretaries aren't, they should still be able to get you exactly what you need. Easy, huh? They may also have a website and e-mail address, so you could even contact them through e-mail, the same thing you used to contact me.

Legitimate requests will still be honored. But anything approaching this will result in a visit from the Project's tire iron. No, it's not just used to rate neighborhood safety.

You have all been warned.

Change and Growth

2010-08-17T22:31:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since we've had a good Catholic Standard & Times story, and lucky for you all that ends right now.

A recent feature from the venerable CS&T, "Numbers Tell of Change, Growth," takes a surprisingly frank look at the demographic and geographic shifts of the Roman Catholic population in the area. It's still not completely honest with itself or with us, and for every point they earn for being upfront, they lose two for getting lost in their own babble. As usual.

Some of the more interesting highlights:

In the case of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the big movement for Catholics has been from the city to the suburbs.

No @$#%.

Nothing underscored this Catholic flight to the suburbs like the 2008 closing of West Philadelphia’s Most Blessed Sacrament, a former mega-parish which once had the largest parochial school in the nation.

I'd think a bigger sign would be the 16 parishes you had to close in North Philadelphia, most of them happening 15 years earlier, but sure, whatever.

The suburbs are not totally immune to these population shifts either.

Don't even go there.

As a matter of fact, according to the 2009 October Count, the Archdiocese’s 10 largest parishes in terms of registration are now located in the suburbs.

Again, no @$#%.

Although there has been a decline in infant baptisms, there has been an increase in baptisms of young children and teens, and beginning this year the Office for Research and Planning has factored in these later baptisms to show a ratio of 1.33 for every funeral reported.

“I believe the new ratio employing all the baptisms represents a more accurate picture of how the Catholic population is replacing itself through baptism,” said Dr. Robert J. Miller, director of the Research and Planning Office.

Interesting. But....

Less encouraging is the overall Mass attendance figure, which according to the statistics has dropped from 390,500 in 1994 to 283,245 in 2009.

So you get them, but you're not keeping them. Got it.

Although the number of priests have declined, the 2010 archdiocesan Catholic Directory shows Masses are now celebrated in more than 20 different languages, including Latin and American Sign Language.

Someone needs to go back and take Logic 101. The second part of that statement in no way counteracts or balances the damning facts of the first. And someone will have to celebrate all these new masses, right?

Like I said, one step forward, two steps back. Most damning is the lack of any real context or substance for these numbers. It's nice to see them acknowledge the decline in city attendance and the number of priests, but what are you doing to address it? Data is good, but data without analysis and action is worthless.

Let me know when you get around that.

What Can't the Project Do?

2010-08-12T23:38:00.005-04:00

The Project's reach extends far and wide, as evidenced by the following letter from reader Michelle H:

Dear Philly Church Project, I have never been to Philadelphia. However, a few months ago, I stumbled across your website when doing research on Philadelphia. At the time, I was in the process of applying to go to a graduate school in Philly and was doing some research on the city. Now, I am indeed going to grad school in Philly! I have been studying the website to learn about the different churches and I am really looking forward to seeing these beautiful (mostly old) churches. I have even made a list of the ones I intend to visit.

I hail from Seattle where our church architecture cannot hold a candle to Philadelphia's. Seattle does have several nice ornate churches (mostly from between the 1880s and 1920s), but being a younger and smaller city, we have far fewer than Philly has. On the plus side, there are far fewer abandoned churches in Seattle than in Philly. I can't think of a single Catholic parish that is no longer in existence (although I'm in my mid-20s, so maybe some closings happened before my time.) Having grown up in a parish with a beautiful Italian Tuscan-style church dating from around 1910, the church building is an important part of where I choose to worship. Attending services in an older, pretty church is much more meaningful than in a modern church that looks modern.

I'll be in Philadelphia in a couple of weeks and will start my church-viewing then. I think I might be attending a couple of Sunday masses, one at the parish I choose to attend and another one at a different church so I can see that church's architecture. Thanks so much for all of the work you do. If I take some good pictures or learn good information, I'll pass it along to the Project.

Ok, so Michelle doesn't come right out and say that we're responsible for bringing her here, but come on. We're just that darn good. What, you think she'd base her decision on trivial things like education and city amenities? Please.

On a more serious note, let's applaud her decision to seek out a church with appropriate architecture. But architecture, as wonderful as it is, isn't by itself a religious means to an end. You can have boring masses in beautiful churches the same as you can have exciting masses in ugly churches. Trust me, I've seen both.

The key is to find a parish that's both structurally beautiful and ecclesiastically engaging. Hint: focus on the poorer areas. Well-to-do neighborhoods put you at too much risk for the Hot Girl Principle, and believe me, you do not want to go there.

The Philadelphia Church Project's Bottom 10: #2

2010-08-10T21:25:00.005-04:00

It's mano a mano as the top two round into form. One earns an eternity of infamy; the other...well, they earn slightly less infamy. Regardless, who will win (or lose, rather) this knock-down, drag-out affair?

That's to be announced. But the runner-up goes to:

#2: St. Stephen

Why They're Here:

Good God, so many reasons. In no particular order, one of the ugliest exteriors we've ever seen; a completely botched Tabula Rasa that turned Philadelphia's first Gothic church into a modern reflecting pool of misery; and a strangely holier-than-thou attitude that prevented yours truly from taking pictures.

The latter really boils my holy water, since out of the hundred or so churches we've seen, this is the only one that has had a problem. Get over yourselves. And no, I won't be your friend. I refuse to be a party to any church that won't have my camera as a member. Or something like that.

The photography issue is one thing, but this really comes down to the botched decor. No current pictures exist, but again, not out fault. Besides, the vintage images we reproduced are far better than anything you'd see nowadays.

Why They're Not Lower:

Not much, really. It's just that the #1 church has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Transfiguration's Windows

2010-08-06T23:48:00.003-04:00

From one closed parish to another. It's been a while since we've talked about Transfiguration of Our Lord, and I know youse guys just can't get enough of that.

From the mailbag:

I wanted to let you know that the large Transfiguration window, as
well as two smaller windows have been restored and are now located at
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Cottonwood Arizona. The two
smaller windows are of Moses parting the Red Sea and of The Sacred
Heart with Adam and Eve.

These windows have been attributed to F.X. Zettler. I'm wondering if
you can confirm that for me.

Immaculate Conception also has a series of stained glass windows
reportedly from the lower section of Transfiguration. These windows
were supposed to go to California, but came to Arizona instead. These
windows are a different style than the aforementioned windows. They
are of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Seven Sacraments, the
Spiritual Works of Mercy and the Corporal Works of Mercy. Do you
know who the artist(s) was who fashioned this windows?

It is heartbreaking to see what happened to Transfiguration. I would
like to invite your readers to visit Immaculate Conception when
visiting Arizona so that they can once again enjoy these beautiful
windows.

Well, that's good to know, I guess. If anyone's ever in Cottonwood, Arizona, check the place out. Immaculate Conception actually has some pictures of their new church. The interface is unwieldy, but you can definitely confirm that Transy's choir window now graces the apse of the new sanctuary. Not a bad design choice, actually.

Oh, and yes, the stained glass artist. The excellent parish history and news materials provided to me by one Joe Kearney mention the windows as coming from "the world famous Zettler stained glass in Munich." It's a pretty good bet that's the same Zettler you refer to.

The Future and the Past

2010-08-01T23:03:00.002-04:00

One reader's e-mail kick-starts an intriguing line of thought:

First i just want to say thank you so much for showcasing the beautiful architecture of the wonderful churches in Philly and the surrounding area. I am a member of the young and rapidly growing Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish.

We have just begun our Capital Campaign to bring forth our contribution to the wonderful architecture of Philly Churches. I am happy to inform you that our Pastor Father Paul Brant is much involved in this project and shares our love of beautiful churches in the surrounding area. Because of this BTC will have what i call a modern Gothic style church. Gothic in appearance but modern in the sense of lighting, technology, fire, and security.

I am also very happy to confirm to you that our back, and front main alter are coming from St Boniface Parish. They are currently being cleaned and repaired then stored untill instalation in the new church, hopefuly there final home. Some if not most of our stained glass is coming form St. Bontiface as well, along with pieces from the old St. Peter's church in Pottstown Pa. There are also wood and religious items that where saved from St. Boniface and will be incorporated into the final design of our new parish. It is sad that such a magnificent structure had to be lossed in St. Boniface, but i am glad to see that the objects that once gave there parishioners so much joy can continue to be used and to bring awe to future generations.

once again thank you for all you do and please continue your good work

Is the Project wrong for not being happy about this? I don't know. I should be, probably, glad that the artifacts are not only getting used, but used in this area. Kind of like how the remnants of Most Blessed Sacrament will find new life at St. Bede the Venerable in Holland. Would anyone be served for them to collect dust in some Archdiocesan warehouse?

No, of course not. Yet, I can't help but view a letter like this with equal parts sadness and anger. Good for the parishioners of Blessed Theresa, but bad for mostly everybody else who was ever involved with St. Boniface.

The church those artifacts belong to, lest we forget, is still rotting at Diamond & Hancock streets in West Kensington. One parish's sparkling new hopes is another parish's crushed dreams. And one church's rise does not negate another church's fall, regardless of how many old relics they cram into it. Especially when that modern new building, artifacts or no, will never equal the grandeur and artistry of the old one.

I wish Blessed Theresa well, and my tone shouldn't make you think otherwise. I just find it hard to muster any kind of a celebration. Unless you belong to Blessed Theresa, you probably do, too.

The Philadelphia Church Project's Bottom 10: #3

2010-07-26T17:17:00.005-04:00

It's a three-way dance for infamy as we near the climax of the Project's Bottom 10. Who is the next victim?

Follow me, if you dare, to North Philadelphia.

#3: Universal Church of the Kingdom of God

Why They're Here:

A joke, you say? Yes. A joke on me. A joke on you. A joke on all of us. Universal Church proved themselves ridiculously inept at stewardship by taking one of the architectural gems of North Philadelphia, Nicetown's former St. Stephen, and turning it into mush.

Oh, sure, the exterior remains more or less intact. But inside, they brandished a hatchet with little shame or sense, turning a still-pretty interior into little more than a plaster classroom. No more arches. No more vaults. No more inspirational size. One shrunken, rectangular plaster box that pays no service to the glory that used to fill that space--and creates a ridiculous disconnect from the exterior that used to house it.

We took no pictures at the time, so horrified were we. And no pictures exist online. But let me put it this way. See this vintage photo?

Photo courtesy St. Stephen Alumni

Stand inside the church now, and you would never know that this even existed. No reason is good enough for such a crime.

Why They're Not Lower:

At least the new owners couldn't touch the exterior. The delicate scripting and ice-cream cone spires are still a marvel, and hint at why it was one of the best churches North Philadelphia had to offer.

The crimes committed inside, though, so infuriate the Project that we have to include them here. Sad.

Vistation's Front Steps REDUX

2010-07-24T18:20:00.005-04:00

Sometimes the Project leads a charmed life. No sooner do we lament that we have no pictures of Visitation BVM's rare pre-1914 front steps, then Michael Mezalick steps up with some.

The first picture dates to 1914 and shows that front step design--the other two are from 1915, after the reconstruction. I actually have seen these before, but the versions were too small to reproduce here.

Visitation's Front Steps

2010-07-20T20:52:00.004-04:00

*Old photo alert!*

As I wrote close to a year ago in St. Cecilia's Visitation Resolved, Visitation BVM's unique sidestep entrance is not original. The church was initially built with the much more common front step design, but the lowering of Lehigh Avenue in 1914 necessitated the change. We had a nifty artist's rendering, reproduced below, but no photos.

If you're expecting me to say "until now," you're wrong. We still don't have one, but resident Visitation expert Tom Lochhead has helped us get a little closer. He writes:

I know that you like old photos and I found one of Viso on line that I thought that you might like to see.

It depicts what looks like the completion of the new sideway steps to the upper church which took place during the lowering of Lehigh Ave. during the Reading RR and Frankford El bridge construction. I would say it is close to 1914 as the work looks pretty complete and the stone that now bears the 1914 date between the doors of the lower church has not been inscribed.

Also, on the left, you can see that the school is in the process of getting new steps too. Try to keep cool

Great stuff. I especially dig the fact that Lehigh was once a cobblestone street. Say what you will about the detrimental effect on automobiles, but I've always felt it helps to class up a place.

The Toledo Church Project

2010-07-18T16:10:00.003-04:00

Chronicling an area's religious architecture is no easy task. And not a prevalent one, either. There are a lot of cities with great churches, but very few cities are lucky enough to have something like the Project to celebrate them.

Hence, when we come across someone else with the same mission, we like to give them a hand.

From Project reader David Lehmann:

My compliments, very nicely done website and photos. I especially appreciate the way you write about each church.

If you have some spare time, you may be interested in this website about Catholic (mostly) Churches in the Toledo Diocese of Northwest Ohio. I hope they can learn a few lessons from your work.

http://catholictoledo.blogspot.com/

A much different approach, surely. Almost entirely photography-focused, with very little writing or in-depth detail, and certainly none of the self-important proselytizing that the Project engages in.

You could nitpick about the lack of written detail on each church, but not the photos themselves, which are very well done. And despite David's kind words, we wouldn't parade ourselves around as a model for others to follow.

These kind of projects (pun intended) are very individualistic and reflective of those who give them life. The important thing is to find a method that works for you, as well as the passion to bring it to fruition. Catholic Architecture and History of Toledo, Ohio certainly has, and they're to be commended.

To tell the truth, I wouldn't have thought of Ohio as an epicenter of church excellence. New York? Sure. But Toledo? Not exactly a place that springs immediately to mind. But judging by the pictures, there's some really good stuff there, and some that's certainly worthy of coverage.

Props to the folks behind this site for doing a job that's important and rewarding, albeit challenging and often thankless.

The Philadelphia Church Project's Bottom 10: #4

2010-07-15T23:59:00.005-04:00

You know, I've decided we're being too mean on these poor churches. We should just stop this terrible charade and leave them in peace.

Just kidding. And the next victim is.....

#4: Mother of Divine Grace (MDG)

Why They're Here:

It's a church I literally almost walked out on--and if not for the fact that the Project's entourage voted against it, I would have. I was snookered by this church's size and construction date, hoping to find another St. Athanasius. Instead, I was treated to one of our worst church experiences.

At least St. William has some some size to fall back on; MDG doesn't even have that. Combine that with an absolute dearth of ornamentation, and you have a church you should avoid like the plague.

The fact that it's a few blocks from Church Alley only makes it more insulting. Seriously, never come here.

Why It's Not Lower:

As nauseating as the Project finds this building, it's still better than the ones that follow it.

Even the Basilica had Humble Beginnings

2010-07-13T19:19:00.004-04:00

You didn't think it did, did you? Did you?

Nah, me neither. But Hugh McNichol's Catholic Sacred Arts reveals that the Basilica did indeed come from humble origins. Well, as humble as it is able to get.

To wit:

Pretty nice, but this piece is striking because it shows just exactly how far the building has come since then. Most noticeable is the smaller sanctuary and unassuming altar--in later years the rear wall was extended backward and turned into a massive curved apse, the altar renovated and augmented with a massive baldachin, and the entire sanctuary lengthened to create the dramatic, borderline over-the-top effect we see today.

Image courtesy dr. jibba / flickr

The Project has clear opinions on the building and its management, but transformations are cool to witness nonetheless. Not to mention seeing the church in a simpler time, before it became a punchline.

Around the Interwebs

2010-07-05T21:48:00.002-04:00

Happy belated 4th of July. The Project recovers from a weekend of fireworks both literal and figurative with an item from Joan Campion, proprietor of the blog Welcome to Penns Woods, which she describes as a "Let's see what we can do to help save Pennsylvania" blog.

She writes:

Greetings. You are doing a most amazing job. I am the founder and former president of the South Bethlehem Historical, where we recently lost some churches. The churches are still standing, but closed.

From her blog posting:

Churches can be among the most interesting examples of architecture in a community--yet, as we are finding more and more frequently, they can be the most easily lost. Anything can hit them, from bankruptcy to a shift in demograhics to a fire.

Does your community have any closed, lost, or abandoned church buildings? Ours does. And what can we do about them? Not much, unless we are extremely well-stocked with money. WE are not, as it happens.

But there's the Philly Church Project, to show us a way even the rather poor might take in dealing with the problem. Go to www.phillychurchproject.com, and you will behold a virtual museum of sacred architecture in one city. Some of it no longer exists in "real" reality, but it does live on in cyberspace.

A project like this can be a real service to local and Pennsylvania history. If it covers a reasonably small community, it can be within the reach of a small historical society. If you have some internet and camera chops, it may even be within your own reach.

If you try it, let me know what you come up with. Maybe we can link up.

Good stuff, and we thank Joan for the publicity and the kind words. The Project did a post on closings in coal country almost a year ago. The problems is little different for those communities than the ones in the city, but closings and consolidations are amplified because of the smaller scale. Despite many, many closures, the greater metropolitan Philadelphia area still has more churches than we can count.

And to add on to Joan's excellent suggestion: anyone who feels compelled to start their own Project, please let us know as well. Just don't think about doubling up on Philly, though--that's the Project's territory, and we don't like to share.

The Philadelphia Church Project's Bottom 10: #5

2010-07-02T00:10:00.003-04:00

Now we get to the fun part. The bottom five--the worst of the worst. Which churches will have the inglorious honor of appearing on this list?

To answer, let's start with a neighborhood that succeeds in almost every area except the one that counts: church architecture. I'm speaking, of course, about Chestnut Hill.

#5: Our Mother of Consolation

Why They're Here:

Unimpressive size and bland ornamentation (or none at all). Our Mother of Consolation (OMC) is pretty much a failure on all architecture levels. Hard to believe this is actually six years younger than Assumption BVM, no?

Why They're Not Lower:

They've got cojones. The church is unimpressive by design; it was built that way to fool the neighbors, who didn't want a Roman Catholic church as a neighbor. The Project appreciates the audacity of the tactic, and we reward them by not making them #1. But there's really no way we can leave it off the list.

What NOT to Do: Philly's Episcopal Cathedral

2010-06-29T22:02:00.007-04:00

Image courtesy The Good Reverend

From the mailbag:

Just for fun I think The Church Project should visit the Episcopal Cathedral at 38th and Chestnut. I've deemed the renovation there as Neo-Gothic meets Ikea. Pretty bizarre. My pretty liberal pastor (not to be mentioned please) laments how they ruined it.

Good lord.

Not the first person to suggest the Episcopal Cathedral, and probably not the last. Is the Project's time really so worthless as to waste on a space like this one?

For those unfamiliar with the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, it's a handsome Gothic structure first built in 1898 and rebuilt in 1906 after a fire. It chugged along beautifully until 1999, when the Powers That Be felt it necessary to completely redesign the entire space.

The results, finished in 2002, showcase a classic building stripped of its ornate, timeless decor and replaced it with tacky modern furnishings. I've panned St. Stephen for doing the same thing, but they've got nothing on this group. Neo-Gothic meets IKEA indeed. Hell, even Pimp My Church barely covers it.

This sort of thing naturally makes the Project go all twitchy and start to foam at the mouth, so the less time I spend discussing it, the better. But I will just say this, with every ounce of contempt I can muster:

Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, you're a bunch of !%@$@!&. As is anyone else who gets the bright idea to do something similar. You can rationalize it all you want, but it's still an incredibly stupid thing to do, and it'll earn you scorn, derision, and a crowbar with your name on it.

(Ok, maybe not a crowbar. But scorn and derision, certainly.)

Who knows, one day we may go there, just for %!$%@# and giggles. But until that wonderful, imaginary time when we can piss away a Sunday and think nothing of it, there are far better things with which to occupy us.

Project Potpourri

2010-06-24T22:32:00.003-04:00

Slow news day today, so have a little treat courtesy the Friends of Immaculate Conception. They may have plagiarized the Project once upon a time, but they're nonetheless a tremendous resource.

For your viewing pleasure, the dedication of Immaculate Conception's upper church, circa June 1, 1930. That's right, a few scant weeks ago that sucker turned 80 years old!

You can tell it's an artist's rendering, because Immaculate's spires are nowhere near that pointy. Drawing or no, though, it's still cool to have. A good reminder of a time when a church opening was a big event! We're just sad we missed it; you know we would have been first in line with a picnic lunch.

Happy Anniversary, Immaculate. And here's to many...err, well, at least several more.

A Second Chance?

2010-06-22T21:46:00.005-04:00

Image Courtesy Bryn Mawr University

There are rarely second acts in life, and even less so when it comes to church closings. South Philadelphia's St. Peter Claver may prove to be the exception.

Founded in 1886 to minister to black Roman Catholics, St. Peter Claver was closed in 1985 as the widespread migration of blacks throughout Philadelphia rendered the concept of a black-only parish somewhat obsolete. (You could argue they should have come to that realization sooner than 1985, but whatever.)

Since then, the site has stayed more or less in operation as the St. Peter Claver Center for Evangelization, which does still use the worship space for special occasions.

But according to Project reader Michael Mezalick, that's going to change. He has heard from one of the contractors bidding for restoration work as part of an alleged parish reopening.

There's no other news about this, so we'll have to take Michael's (and by extension, the contractor's) word for now. But if true, it would be a stunning reversal for an organization that virtually never makes them. Of course, they've still occupied the building and used the space in the years since its closure, so you could argue that, in practical terms, it never really closed. Still, even by those modest standards it's a big step.

The good news is that the continuous operation most likely means the ornamentation is intact, albeit in some need of renovation. The Project has never seen interior shots, so we don't know what shape it's in, or how nice it was to begin with. If all goes according to plan, though, we'll have a chance soon enough. Exterior shots reveal a modest-looking building, but there's a reason the St. Athanasius Effect exists.

We'll keep you posted.

The Philadelphia Church Project's Bottom 10: #6

2010-06-20T00:46:00.006-04:00

The carnival of lost souls spins on, this time taking us to the Lawncrest section of Northeast Philadelphia:

#6: St. William

Why They're Here:

Because few church experiences were more disappointing, that's why. St. William is an old parish--founded 1920--but due to numerous reasons, they didn't get their act together and finish the damn church until 1963, by which time we were left with a spartan monstrosity. Bland, modern and generally uninspired upper and lower churches. The Project wants results, not excuses, and they failed on almost every front.

Visit St. William's Wikipedia page for more images

Their inability to get the job done is strike one; the results once they did are strike two; and my disappointment upon seeing it (contrary to the glowing things I'd heard) is strike three; they're out.

Why They're Not Lower:

The size and scope aren't bad, and the Italian-Renaissance-ish exterior is fairly impressive. Not much to write home about, but still better than what's to follow.

St. Bonaventure Facebook

2010-06-17T23:27:00.004-04:00

Social media strikes again! This thing just might have legs after all.

From Project reader Rhoda Maddonni:

Hello,

I really enjoyed reading your adventures in old "St. Bonnie's". I went to school there for 1st thru 8th grade (1980-1988). I just started a facebook group page. I was wondering if I could use one of your pics for our profile, specifically the one showing the school name? Please come visit the page when you get a chance. I'm hoping we can get some great pics on here from former members.

Thanks in advance.

Rhoda Torres Maddonni, Class of 88

St. Bonaventure facebook group page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=128729777152787#!/group.php?gid=128729777152787&ref=mf

In case you're counting, that's the third Facebook parish page that we're aware of, the first two being West Philadelphia's defunct St. Gregory and St. Agatha. If you're a fan of any of these three churches, check them out.

Are there any other social media outlets for churches? Let the Project know--we have infinite curiosity. And if your favorite parish doesn't have a page, create one, especially if it's still open. No need to wait until it closes to bring the parish together! If done right, it may even be the difference between closing and staying open.

The Future of Preservation?

2010-06-13T14:55:00.005-04:00

The Project is going out of town for a few days. But before I do, here's a great item courtesy readers Mary Beth and Joe Kearney:

Old Buffalo church to be reborn in Atlanta suburb

It's a familiar story. A beautiful old parish in Buffalo, NY is closed due to a declining neighborhood and shrinking population. The building has no takers, so they're in for a terrible Long Goodbye, right?

Wrong. In a move that's really on the cutting edge of religious architectural preservation--or, heck, architectural preservation of any kind--a growing parish in the Atlanta, Georgia suburbs plans to buy the building and move it brick by brick to Atlanta.

To that, the Project says AMEN.

It's something I've thought a lot about, actually. I've often wondered why we can't move buildings that have outlived their usefulness in one area, and place them instead in new neighborhoods that can actually use them.

Cost issues aside, it's a tantalizing what-if scenario. What if any number of defunct Philly parishes had found new life in the burgeoning suburbs? What if, instead of closing, stripping and / or demolishing these structures, we moved them to new and loving homes? Imagine an alternate universe where churches like St. Boniface, Assumption BVM, Our Lady of Mercy, St. Stephen, St. Bonaventure, Most Blessed Sacrament, Transfiguration of Our Lord and others all were alive and well in different locations.

It's an achingly poignant scenario, no?

Yes, there are some concerns about, as the Buffalo City Council says, "strip-mining a city's historic heritage." That's an undeniable consideration, and one that should not be brushed aside lightly.

But let me say this: how is your heritage served by letting historic buildings rot and fall down? Or be demolished for something that's far less timeless? Or hacked apart by new owners who don't appreciate their beauty? It's not. In an ideal world, yes, buildings would be able to stand forever in the exact spot they were conceived, and forever serve their original neighborhoods.

That's simply not possible, though. And I would argue quite vehemently that keeping valuable structures alive, even if it means moving them, performs a far greater architectural service--and is a far greater testament to those who labored to erect them--then simply letting them stand and decay, surrounded by institutions and people who turned their backs on them long ago.

Let's hope I'm not alone. We need to see more of this.

The Philadelphia Church Project's Bottom 10: #7

2010-06-08T20:28:00.005-04:00

First, yes, a name change. It's not really fair to have a "best / worst in Philadelphia" feature without having seen everything. And despite disclaimers to the contrary, it's also misleading; there are churches that are far worse (and better) than what you're going to see on these lists.

So, we're reframing this as the Project's Bottom 10. (And, later on, the Project's Top 10.) Much more accurate, fairer, and hopefully better from a public outreach perspective.

So, without further ado--drumroll please.......

#7: Our Mother of Good Counsel

Why They're Here

A botched whitewash renovation job, and layout changes like moving the altar out into the nave. The Project hates both with a passion, and both are in abundance here. And Our Mother of Good Counsel doesn't have enough size or scope to compensate.

Also, the parish is thoroughly hostile to visitors, forcing me to coin a theorem (The Hot Girl Principle) just for them.

Why They're Not Higher

The twisted Gothic exterior is neat, even if the tympanums have been replaced with tacky modern stained glass. That helps, but it's hard to forget the awful things they did inside.

Bad stewardship and even worse manners? Suck on this, you rich, arrogant!%@$#.

Genealogists Strike Back

2010-06-05T19:30:00.003-04:00

The Project surfaces in this very nice post by reader Donna Pointkouski on her blog, What's Past is Prologue:

Featured Site: The Philadelphia Church Project - What's Past is Prologue

As the Project has learned, these genealogy folks mean business. Seriously. And it's funny, this angle wasn't one I planned on when the Project began. But if I (and you) take nothing else away from the Philadelphia Church Project, it's this:

These are pretty buildings, yes, but they're also living history--of a person, of a family, of a neighborhood. And you don't visit 100-something churches without getting drawn into that history.

We're continually proud to be able to bring that to you, albeit in our limited way.

St. Bartholomew

2010-06-03T21:59:00.001-04:00

Finally, finally got this one done for you.

St. Bartholomew - Wissinoming

Enjoy.