Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Downtown Fort Wayne. The Cathedral cornerstone was placed on June 19, 1859, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was dedicated on December 8, 1860. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, the church "is believed to be the oldest building in continuous public use in northern Indiana."
Originally made of red brick trimmed with gray sandstone, the building, without furnishings, cost $54,000. Sometime around the early part of this century the sandstone brick exterior started to deteriorate and a stucco coating was used to cover it. The Cathedral was later refaced with Indiana limestone and Wisconsin lannonstone, a project that was postponed until after World War II and completed in 1950. The MacDougal Memorial Chapel and the Diocesan Chancery were constructed at the same time. French Gothic architecture was changed to English Gothic.
#Cathedral #Church #Downtown #Historical #Indiana
- Comments