Dedicated October 12, 1911, St. Aloysius has the largest seating capacity of any Catholic church in Spokane, with the capacity to seat 1,100. Designed by the architectural firm of Preusse & Zittle of Spokane, it is a replacement for a smaller wood framed church. The interior features copious amounts of oak woodwork and Italian marble. Unfortunately, in 1971, a deranged individual, high on LSD,
destroyed much of the marble statuary and fixtures, as well as killing a caretaker. See the news story, from the Spokane Spokesman-Review, below.
The stations of the cross lining the interior walls were made by the Mayers’ Studio of Germany, who were also responsible for the magnificent stained glass in the church. Also in the church is a beautiful pipe organ with 37 ranks of keys. Originally built by Kilgen in 1938 as Opus 3756, it was rebuilt in 1968 as
Opus 3 by Don P. Gorman.
Outside, the red brick church is notable for its twin, tall bell towers and spires, one of which holds a large bell named Catherina. Embellished with myriad pieces of terra cotta trim, it is a beautiful building to behold, with a Romanesque pediment over the main entrance, supported by no less than 6 Corinthian columns. Above is a parapet which joins the two towers, punctuated by 6 Roman arched recesses, each with a terra cotta hood and keystone. The terra cotta cornice is decorated with six pointed, square finials, each with an ogee modillion below. Arched corbelling down the sides of the nave frame raised brick crosses.
Church Altar Reborn St. Aloysius’ Interior
Smashed 25 Years Ago
By Killer On Rampage
The marks of a madman’s rampage 25 years ago still tarnish the marble interior of St. Aloysius Catholic Church.
Armed with a sledgehammer and a rifle, Larry J. Harmon murdered a church caretaker, wounded four other people and desecrated the sanctuary before police shot and killed him.
The tragedy is etched into the annals of the historic church, built at the edge of Spokane’s Gonzaga University shortly after the turn of the century. A plaque marks the spot of the murder. Cracks, visible on close inspection, mar much of the remaining marble.
Today, the parish dedicates a new marble altar, reconstructed from ornate altar gates salvaged from the ruins.
“It combines the old with the new,” said Pastoral Administrator Don Weber. “It’s kind of symbolic of bridging the past with the present.”
Completed in 1911, the Romanesque-style church was filled with baroque statues and ornately carved Carrara marble, imported from Italy. The church is among the most opulent buildings in the Inland Northwest.
After Harmon was shot, witnesses said it looked as if a bomb exploded at the front of the church.
“It was unbelievable devastation,” said parish member Rosemary Bippes. “You couldn’t believe that one man could do so much destruction.”
Harmon, high on LSD, walked in the church’s main entry at 11:30 a.m. on a Thursday morning in 1971. After destroying two statues in the rear of the sanctuary, he shot and killed a caretaker working on a clock.
Harmon then took his sledgehammer to the front of the church, knocking over statues and fracturing marble altars and floors. He shattered the free-standing glass altar and the marble rail that separated the altar from the pews. Many of the damaged items were irreplaceable.
Read more at the Spokane Spokesman-Review