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Sacred Heart Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
View from the southeast
Location	217 W. Fourth St., Dayton, Ohio
Area	Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1890 (1890)
Architect	Charles Insco Williams
Architectural style	Romanesque; Queen Anne
NRHP reference No.	87001885
Added to NRHP	October 22, 1987

Parish history

One of Dayton's oldest Catholic parishes, St. Joseph's Church was established in 1846. The lack of space prompted some of the members to leave in July 1883 and establish Sacred Heart Church; under the leadership of St. Joseph associate pastor Hugh McDevitt, the congregation rented a meeting hall while waiting for the construction of their building. Land for the present church was purchased for $19,000, and William Henry Elder laid the cornerstone in June 1888. Exterior work was completed in the following year, and by 1893 construction was close enough to completion that the congregation could begin worshipping in their building. The building was consecrated by Bishop Maes of Covington in November 1895; construction had cost approximately $100,000, but the parish was able to liquidate its debts by 1903. For many years, the parish flourished, reaching a membership of five hundred families by 1909, but it was suppressed in 1996. Five years later, a Vietnamese-speaking Catholic parish began using the building.

Architecture

Designed by Charles Insco Williams, Sacred Heart is a limestone building with a limestone foundation, an asphalt roof, and various elements of sandstone and copper; the limestone was quarried locally, while the sandstone was obtained from Berea, Ohio. Constructed strictly in the Romanesque Revival style, the church features a massive central dome with cupola, towers straddling the main entrance, and rose windows under the pediments of the front and side. When constructed, the building featured a basement under the 75-foot ceiling, and its general plan was 115 by 92 feet, or 23, 35, and 28m respectively. Grand woodworking, artwork, and chandeliers once filled the interior, but most have been removed; some were destroyed by the raging waters of the Great Flood of 1913, while others were intentionally removed or painted over at later dates.

Preservation

In October 1987, Sacred Heart Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although as a religious property it would not normally be considered eligible for designation, it nevertheless qualified because of its distinctive historic architecture. The parish's related rectory was also included in the designation. It is one of five Dayton churches on the Register, along with St. Mary's, St. Adalbert's, and Holy Cross Catholic Churches and First Lutheran Church.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ Cite error: The named reference drury was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
3. ^ Dalton, Curt. Dayton. Charleston: Arcadia, 2006, 52.
4. ^ Sacred Heart Church, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2013-11-10.
5. National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Park Service. Accessed 2013-11-10.

• Roman Catholic churches completed in 1890
• Churches in Dayton, Ohio
• Limestone buildings
• National Register of Historic Places in Ohio
• Romanesque Revival architecture in Ohio
• Stone churches in Ohio