Nativity of Mary Parish Church - Janesville, WI
N 42° 41.121 W 089° 01.242
16T E 334455 N 4727853
The Nativity of Mary Parish Church is located at 313 Wall St. in Janesville. It was organized 1876 and the current building was built starting in 1900 and completed on June 14, 1902.
Waymark Code: WM2F0H
Location: Wisconsin, United States
Date Posted: 10/22/2007
Views: 53
From the Parish web site:
"Nativity of Mary Parish began in the winter of 1876, forty years
after Henry James established the original plat of the "village of
Janesville" and built a log cabin on the east shore of the Rock
River. It would be Janesville's second Catholic congregation. The
first, St. Patrick Parish, begun in 1847, had grown beyond the
capacity of their church building, and were experiencing financial
difficulties. Early in 1876 a meeting was held to consider
organizing a second parish in Janesville. On March 3rd, the land
for St. Mary, eight rods square, was purchased for $580. On March
14, the contract for the building of a plain, frame church was let
for the sum of $2,000. The first liturgy was offered there in July,
and in September, Rev. John Stephen Muenich was installed as the
first pastor. Membership in the new congregation swelled, and by
November it was necessary to build an addition to the new
church.
On August 17, 1883, Nativity of Mary congregation was
incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin. Rev. Robert
Roche, who succeeded Rev. Muenich as pastor, began a fund to
improve the church lot, decorate and furnish the priest's house and
church, and purchase property for a school. It fell to his
successor, Rev. W.A. Goebel, to undertake the building of a new
church to accommodate the increasing congregation. Under his
supervision, and the plans by architects Frank Kemp and Fred
Roesling, Sr., work began in the fall of 1900 on a new church, to
be built in the High Victorian Gothic style. The completed building
was dedicated by Bishop Muldoon of Chicago on June 14, 1902.
Janesville's historic chronicle of that year described the new St.
Mary Church as "by far the most imposing and handsomest church
building in the city. Situated on a prominent section of the city,
on high ground, its beautiful design and tall steeple add to the
beauty of Janesville's architecture".
It was indeed a magnificent structure. The outside of the
church, which boasted 21 inch thick walls and a steeple which
soared over 200 feet into the air, was constructed of Waukesha
limestone foundation and pressed brick, which consumed the entire
supply of brick in the brick yard. Inside, the church auditorium
with its arched ceiling, gas and electric brass lights, oak pews,
pillars of onyx and Italian marble and antique stained windows,
invoked the beauty of a cathedral. Although the church was
considered too large when it was built, within six months it was
filled almost to capacity.
Visit Instructions:1) A photo of the church is required for visits to a waymark.
2) Please share some comments about your visit.
3) Additional photos are encouraged. If you can have information in addition to that already provided about this church, please share it with us.