St. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church - Baltimore MD - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

The chief distinctive feature of St. Vincent de Paul Church at 120 N. Front Street is its slender Georgian style tower which rises to a height of 150 feet above the narthex and contrasts sharply with its surroundings.

This unique brick tower, painted gleaming white as is the entire building, rests on an octagonal base and supports three successive indented tiers (one octagonal and two cylindrical), capped by a copper-sheathed dome and twelve-foot cross.

In style, the building relates to the classical revival churches built in London and Paris in the 1820's, and, although no architect can be ascribed, the restrained exterior pilasters and moldings of Georgian influence are very much in the tradition of the carpenter-draftsman as practiced by John Hall of Baltimore during the early Nineteenth Century.


The congregation of St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church was established in 1840 under Father John Baptist Gildea. The priest himself is credited with designing the building which was the fifth Roman Catholic Church constructed in Baltimore. It was to serve the ever increasing wealthy, English-speaking Catholics in the Gay and Pratt Street area.

On May 21, 1840, the cornerstone was laid by Archbishop Eccleston and the Right Reverend John English of Charleston, South Carolina, gave the rain interrupted address. When the church was dedicated on November 7, 1841, the parish already extended from the harbor to Towson. By 1865, the church was over-crowded; reputedly there were at times 2,000 families in the congregation.

In 1879 the church was consecrated by Archbishop James Gibbons, one of four churches so recognized in America. This placed it under the direct protection of the Holy See.

During the years that followed, the church became known for its "Printers' Mass" which was held at midnight and attended regularly by newsmen from the two newspaper offices nearby.

There was, in addition, a male orphanage adjoining and parochial schools operated by the Christian Brothers and the Sisters of Charity. The parish's most famous son was James Cardinal Gibbons (1834-1921). The founder, Father Gildea, was interred beneath the main altar at his death February 14, 1845.

Street address: 120 North Front Street Baltimore, MD United States 21202 County / Borough / Parish: Baltimore (Independent City) Year listed: 1974 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1875-1899, 1850-1874, 1825-1849 Historic function: Religion Current function: Religion Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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