St. Joseph Polish Catholic Church
History
The parish was started by a group of Polish immigrants in 1891 and incorporated the following year on October 24. The parish rented a building on Broadway to use as a church. Land was bought at Tenth and Liberty Streets and a combination church and school was completed in 1895. George I. Lovatt, Sr., a Philadelphia architect, designed the present church in the Baroque style. Construction was begun in 1913 and the church was dedicated in May 1914. The church building cost $100,000 to build. The interior was painted in 1923 for $15,000. The stained-glass windows were donated as memorials over the years.
Architecture
The exterior of the structure is covered in gray Vermont granite. A Romanesque style entrance is located in the tower. The building is cruciform in shape. There are three bells in the tower: Mary (quarter-ton), John (half-ton) and Adalbert (one-ton). The bells were dedicated on December 2, 1917.
The interior of the church features a 63-foot (19.2 m) nave and an apse that is crowned by a half-rounded cupola above the main altar. There are two side altars in nitches that flank the main altar. A choir loft is above the main entrance. The church has a seating capacity of 1,000 people.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church". Dvrbs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-24.