St. George Catholic Church
-“Old St. George”
Image taken by/property of Matthew Stoll
Background• 1814 – First Catholic Service in Cincinnati
OTR
OTR
• 1819 – First Catholic Church in Cincinnati
Background image courtesy of Cincinnati Area GIS: http://cagisonline.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/index.html
Background• 1814 – First Catholic Service in Cincinnati• 1819 – First Catholic Church in Cincinnati• Current Site of St. Francis Seraph:
Image retrieved from: http://www.stfrancisseraphschool.org/st-francis-seraph-church
Background• 1814 – First Catholic Service in Cincinnati• 1819 – First Catholic Church in Cincinnati
• 1850 – Promoted to Archdiocese• 1821 – Diocese of Cincinnati established
The Roman Catholic Dioceses of Ohio
Image retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cincinnati_Catholic_map.png
Roots• 1868 – St. George Parish formed– 2-story building with chapel and school– Same year the Diocese of Columbus is established
Image retrieved from: http://tctphotos.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html
Roots• 1868 – St. George Parish formed– 2-story building with chapel and school– Same year the Diocese of Columbus is established
• 1874 – St. George Catholic Church dedicated– Designed by Samuel Hannaford (heard of him?)– Romanesque Revival styled
• 1895 – 700 member families, High School classes offered for the first time
Image taken from: Williams, Caroline. "The Spires of Saint George." Cincinnati - Steeples, Streets, and Steps. Burlington, KY: Penandhoe, 1963. 52-53. Print.
Image taken from: Illustrated Business Directory and Picturesque Cincinnati. 1896. Print.
St. George Catholic Church School
• 1914 – School built across the street– Jacobethan style
St. George Catholic Church School
Image retrieved from: http://home.fuse.net/ndacincy/ndacincysites.htm
Monastery/Rectory Addition
• 1928 – New addition dedicated– Romanesque style– Original Church building is now Catholic Teacher’s
College
Image retrieved from: http://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/stgeorge/historicimages.html
Image retrieved from: http://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/stgeorge/historicimages.html
Changes
• 1947 - Catholic Teacher’s College moved out. – St. George’s original home was demolished and
replaced by a parking lot• Meanwhile UC expanded EAST into Corryville,
demolishing everything in its path
Background image courtesy of Cincinnati Area GIS: http://cagisonline.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/index.html
Background image courtesy of Cincinnati Area GIS: http://cagisonline.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/index.html
Background image courtesy of Cincinnati Area GIS: http://cagisonline.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/index.html
1957Image retrieved from: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20090529&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=905290802&Ref=PH
1966Image retrieved from: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20090529&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=905290802&Ref=PH
1970Image retrieved from: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20090529&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=905290802&Ref=PH
Changes
• 1947 - Catholic Teacher’s College moved out. – St. George’s original home was demolished and
replaced by a parking lot• Meanwhile UC expanded EAST into Corryville• New structures built:
Daniels Hall
Morgans, Scioto, and Sawyer Halls
Dabney Hall
French Hall (photo shows more recent addition/renovation)
Image retrieved from: http://magazine.uc.edu/explore/living_dining/daniels.html
Image retrieved from: http://www.magazine.uc.edu/explore/living_dining/dabney.html
Image retrieved from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Residence_halls,_Scioto_Street,_UC.jpg
Image retrieved from: http://www.greatdegree.com/schools/University-of-Cincinnati-818.html
Sigma Sigma Commons
Dabney Hall
French Hall
Edwards Center
Morgans Hall
Scioto Hall
Sawyer Hall
Sander Dining Hall (e.g. 45 West Charlton, African American Cultural and Resource Center, sketchy computer lab building)
Ferocious Bearcat Statue
Sander Hall
FUTURE
FUTURE
FUTURE
FORMER
FORMER
Original Church Building
Image taken from: Giglierano, Geoffrey J., Deborah A. Overmyer, and Frederic L. Propas. "Tour 11: Corryville." The Bicentennial Guide to Greater Cincinnati: A Portrait of Two Hundred Years. Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Historical Society, 1988. 206. Print.
So, why were St. George Church and its school the only structures saved?
• 1970s – Only 60 resident families– However…… Church was thriving– UC Students, Faculty, and Staff– UC Newman Center combined with St. George
Church
Image retrieved from: http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2005/todays-news/st_george.html
Image retrieved from: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=15191.0
Image retrieved from: http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2010/08/old-st-george-hotel-proposal-needs-65k.html
Corryville Catholic School• 1977 – Number of catholic school children in
uptown area was low• St. George, St. Monica, Holy Name, Assumption,
Sacred Heart, St. Andrews Church Schools combined to form Corryville Catholic School
• St. George building used because of location, condition, and space
Corryville Catholic School
Image retrieved from: http://www.corryvillecatholic.org/work.html
Back to St. George Church
• 1989 – Archdiocese of Cincinnati experiencing PRIEST SHORTAGE
• Decided to merge St. George and St. Monica parishes
• Heavy opposition, both parishes lost many members
• Final mass in St. George on July 27th, 1993• St. Monica/St. George and UC Newman Center
are now located in St. Monica Church building on McMillan Street
Image retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St_Monica_St_George.JPG
“Old St. George”
• 1993 – Christian Ministries Center – Coffee shop and community center– “Old St. George”
Image retrieved from: http://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/stgeorge/historicimages.html
Old St. George
• 1993 – Christian Ministries Center – Coffee shop and community center– “Old St. George”
• 2004 – CMC bankrupt• 2004 – UC purchased building– Walgreens offered to buy and demolish the building– UC said NO
• 2005 – UC sells building to the Clifton Heights Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation (CHCURC) for $1.6 million
Old St. George
Image retrieved from: http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/0322uptownsrenaissance.aspx
The Fire
• February 1st 2008-One of the two spires catches fire
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MwTmtmlnDE – Channel 5 Story
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRnMELS-YyE – Raw Footage
• Fire caused by an exposed light bulb igniting nearby combustible materials
Image retrieved from: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20080203/NEWS01/802030331/Old-St-George-can-saved
Image retrieved from: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20080203/NEWS01/802030331/Old-St-George-can-saved
Image retrieved from: http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/sacred_spaces/old_st_george.html
Image retrieved from: http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-23418-old_st_george_continues_to_decay.html
The Future• Yes, it was insured, and yes, CHCURC has the
money and has not spent it on anything else• Full Restoration to original state• Designation National Historic Landmark (in the
same league as Music Hall, Union Terminal, Carew Tower, Spring Grove, etc.)
• Boutique Hotel, restaurant/brewery
Matt Bourgeois-
“We are still pursuing the adaptive reuse of the church site as you described it from the News Record article. We are much further along from when that article was written but still a ways away from being able to say it’s definitely happening.”
We’re not in the safe zone yet…. We need your help!!
Works Cited• Bourgeois, Matt. "Old St. George Church." Message to the author. E-mail.• Giglierano, Geoffrey J., Deborah A. Overmyer, and Frederic L. Propas. "Tour 11: Corryville." The
Bicentennial Guide to Greater Cincinnati: A Portrait of Two Hundred Years. Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Historical Society, 1988. 206. Print.
• Illustrated Business Directory and Picturesque Cincinnati. 1896. Print.• Lemaster, Kevin. "Panel to Discuss Future of Old St. George." Building Cincinnati. 27 May 2008. Web. 10
Nov. 2011. <http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2008/05/panel-to-discuss-future-of-old-st.html>.• "Old St. George: St. George Catholic Church - Cincinnati, OH." National Trust for Historic Preservation. 15
June 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/case-studies/historic-houses-of-worship/old-st-george.html>.
• Smiddy, Betty Ann. "The Legacy of Samuel Hannaford." Selfcraft.net. 2006. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www.selfcraft.net/Hannaford/>.
• Stephens, Sarah. "Old St. George Church." CityBeat. 20 Feb. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-3899-old-st-george-church.html>.
• Tansey, Eira. "Old St. George: 1868-2008." UC Libraries | University of Cincinnati. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/stgeorge/index.html>.
• Bowie, MD: Heritage, 1994. Print. • Williams, Caroline. "The Spires of Saint George." Cincinnati - Steeples, Streets, and Steps. Burlington, KY:
Penandhoe, 1963. 52-53. Print.