Cathedral of St. Paul - Worcester, MA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

In 1866 the Archdiocese of Boston authorized Father John Power of St. Anne's Parish to purchase land for the construction of St. Paul's Church, as Worcester's third Catholic Church. A building fund was established in 1867, construction began in 1868, and services were first held in the basement on July 14., 1869. On March 7, 1950, Diocese of Worcester was created, Bishop John J. Wright was installed as the first Bishop, and the church was renamed the Cathedral of St. Paul.

The Gothic Revival style church was designed by Elbridge Boyden and Son. The granite block church is 168' long and 68' wide. The tower on the corner of High and Chatham Streets was completed in 1889 and is 96' high.

The north facing façade has entrances at the base of the tower and a set of steps leading up to portico with three Gothic arches on the front and one Gothic arch on each side. There are three Gothic arch entrances at the back the portico. A short tower topped by a turret is located on the northeast corner of the front.

The tall tower on the northwest corner has four stages. The lower stage has the entrances. The second stage has a pair of lancet windows. The third stage has two multi-pane Gothic windows. The fourth stage is a Gothic belfry with louvered openings and ornate tracery. The top of the tower has pinnacles at each corner.

The main block of the church has a cross-gable roof. Two tall Gothic windows and a circular window framed within a Gothic arch are on the front. A statue of St. Paul stands below a canopy between the large windows. The sides of the main block have a slanted roofs with four Gothic windows below, separated by stone columns. Above the slanted roof are four clerestory windows.

The gable ends of the transept project from the main block. Each gable end has a large triple window framed by a Gothic arch. The back of the church is five sided with lancet windows on each face.

Street address: 38 High Street Worcester, MA United States 01609 County / Borough / Parish: Worcester Year listed: 1980 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1850-1874 Historic function: Religion Current function: Religion Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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