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St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church and Rectory
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The preserved facade of St. Joseph's Church
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| Location: | 108 Franklin St., Rochester, New York |
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| Area: | less than one acre |
| Built: | 1843-1846 |
| Architect: | Jones & Nevins |
| Architectural style: | Greek Revival, Italianate |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 75001197[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | May 29, 1975 |
St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church and Rectory was a historic Roman Catholic church and rectory located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[1] The structure has been preserved as monument after a disastrous fire.
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The church was originally built 1843-1846 in the simple monumental tradition of the Greek Revival, with a gray stone facade of series of arched bays on the exterior facade. The simple church was enlarged 1849 into cruciform plan that sat a thousand. The interior was remodeled in 1895. The first steeple added in 1859 and replaced with a tower in 1909, designed by Joseph Oberlies.[2][3]
The rectory, or community house, was constructed in 1870 in the Italianate style.[3]
St. Joseph's served as the mother church for the German Catholic churches in the region. Many of these satellite churches and schools lured away parishioners and students, causing building replacements to the complex and finally closure and sale into the 1970s.[2]
The church suffered a serious fire in October 1974.[4] The fire destroyed the church, except for the tower and walls in October 1974, forcing the parish to abandon the ruin. The Landmark Society of Western New York, the State University College at Brockport, city officials, members of the Downtown Development Corporation, and the original Roman Catholic religious order all supported preserving the bell tower and three extant bays (front facade) as a monument encased in a park, named St. Joseph’s Park.[2] The conversion was carried out by Landmark Society of Western New York in 1980.[3]