Built in the late 1880s, the cornerstone for St. Patrick's was laid on June 24, 1887, with the first service being held on Christmas day, 1890. The building served as a Catholic Church for 119 years, being closed by the Portland Diocese in 2009, the final service being held in October of that year. In 2014 the building was purchased and renovated, reopening on May 7, 2016 as part of the
Agora Grand Events Center, an inn and events venue.
The Gothic Revival church was built with two towers, the 220-foot principal tower being the
tallest in Maine, while the second tower is somewhat smaller. The taller tower serves as the bell tower. The church was built of brick with stone trim throughout. Each tower has stepped buttresses at the corners, the steps highlighted by a series of angled and stepped stone caps. The front facade has three sets of entrance doors, one in each of the towers and a third centred between them. Each is Gothic Arched, as are all the openings in the building, including the vents in the belfry of the bell tower.
The main entrance is set behind four arches of stone or terra cotta, the left entrance three and the smaller right entrance a single arch. All the arches are supported by Doric Columns with bricks between each. All doors are wooden with huge arched transoms above. The main entrance also has a Roman or Greek style pediment above, built of brick with a roof of what appears to be freestone. Stone keystones, quoins and buttress caps finish the entrance off.
The nave is buttressed in a similar fashion as the tower, with stepped stone caps atop each buttress. Large Gothic windows occupy the space between each buttress, while above, in the clerestory, is a series of smaller Gothic windows.
The centre entry was built as a portico, with the door recessed within a series of four carved stone Doric columns on each side. Above the columns are fluted arches which form the top of the opening of the portico. Above is a stone topped gabled pediment with a lower cross gable behind. The transom has glass below and carved wood mouldings and panels above. Each of the wood doors is multi panelled, with quatrefoil and Gothic designs in each panel.
Following is a fairly complete history of the church, from the Inn at the Agora.
History of the Church & Chapel
In 1886, the Kelsey mansion and approximately one-acre lot were purchased under the direction of Monsignor Thomas Wallace. On June 24, 1887, the cornerstone, which bears the original date, was laid by Bishop James Healy. Construction on the church and chapel continued for over three years, including construction of a 220-foot principal tower and spire – Maine’s tallest – in true Neogothic style and architecture. The church officially opened on Christmas, 1890.
In 1895, the house and lot just south of the church were purchased, providing a convent for the Sisters of Notre Dame; in 1957 this lot was developed as a parking lot to meet greater demand. In 1927, a Munich manufacturer built and installed the stained glass windows in St. Patrick’s church, which were removed by the Roman Catholic Church and sold to a Japanese company in 2011. In 1960, the entire church was renovated at a cost of $50,000 (nearly $400,000 in 2014 dollars).
The Portland Diocese closed the church in 2009, its final mass being held in October of that year. The former church and rectory remained vacant until purchased in 2014 by real estate developer Andrew Knight, who immediately acted to protect the church and chapel from the elements and fully renovated the former rectory into a boutique hotel, which opened in September, 2014, as the Inn at the Agora. Renovation and construction began on the church and chapel in July of 2015, and on May 7, 2016, these beautiful buildings were reopened as a large events venue, The Agora Grand Events Center, capable of accommodating large conferences, celebrations, and weddings.
From the Inn at the Agora