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 façade 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 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 clerestorey, 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.
Following the story is a fairly complete history of the church, from the Inn at the Agora.
Zoning change sought for Lewiston church property
Potential buyer mulls converting property to venue for weddings, conferences
Jan 30, 2014
LEWISTON, Maine —
The historic former St. Patrick's Church in Lewiston could become a venue for weddings and other large events if the city approves a request to change the property's zoning.
Andrew Knight of Arlington, Va. is asking the Lewiston Planning Board to approve a conditional rezoning of the property at 220 Bates St. and 1 Walnut St. Knight filed the request on Jan. 22, according to documents filed with the city of Lewiston's Code Enforcement and Planning Department.
According to the documents, Knight signed a purchase and sales agreement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland last November to buy both the church and the nearby rectory. Knight provided a copy of the agreement to the city, with the purchase price redacted, when he submitted his zoning change request. The purchase and sales agreement states that the sale will be completed on Friday.
In his letter to the city, Knight said rezoning the property from a Downtown Residential District to the Centreville zoning district would "allow the property to be utilized productively and efficiently as a successful commercial property, particularly a large events venue specializing in weddings and conference."
The new zoning would also allow the property to be used as a restaurant or a hotel, Knight said.
Built in the 1880s, St. Patrick's Church closed in October 2009 as a result of declining revenues.
The Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed zoning change on Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Lewiston City Hall.
Knight could not be reached for additional comment.
From WMTV