BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING - MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston - - - - In Area no. Form no. 1/9/-81 1/9-1/ 499 1. Town Fall River, Mass. Address 407 Spring Street Name St. Mary's Cathedral Present use church 2. Photo (3x3" or 3x5") Staple to left side of form Photo number INST.6-#3 - 4. Map. Draw sketeh of building location in relation to nearest cross streets and other buildings. Indicate north. SPRING ST Present owner Roman Catholic Bishop of Fall River 3. Description: stone church w/tower & spire at n e corner Date 1852-56 -- Source date stone. parish history Style Victorian Gothic Architect Patrick C Keely Exterior wall fabric Fall River granite rock- faced, random ashlar. Outbuildings (describe)_Rectory on Second_St. Other featuressq. side tower w/4-sided stone-sheathed spire, pointed arch windows w/ wood mullions.
Entrance set in shallow gabled frontispiece, rose window in main north gable. Altered - Rectory Date 1927 Moved Date 5. Lot size: 68,474 sq. ft. One acre or less Over one acre X Approximate frontage Approximate distance of building from street RODMAN ST. 6. Recorded by_ Pat Giza Organization FROHP Date 2'13/81 (over) 7. Original owner (it known)_ St. Mary's Original use Church Subsequent uses (if any) and dates Cathedral (1904) 8. Themes (check as many as applicable) Aboriginal Agricultural Architectural The Arts Commerce Communication Community development Conservation Education Exploration/ settlement Industry Military Political Recreation Religion Science/ invention Social/ humanitarian Transportation X 9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above) The oldest Catholic Church in Fall River, St.
Mary's Cathedral is a key Fall River landmark and visually dominates the adjacent Corky Row Historic District An early commission of Patrick Keely, America's first major Catholic ecclesiastical architect, St Mary s is a fine example of the Gothic Revival style. The parish house which completes the complex was designed in the same style by yet another firm well-known for its work for the Catholic Church, Maginnis and Walsh During the early 19th century there were few Catholics in New England, and the first Catholics to settle in Fall River beginning in 1822 had to depend on visits from traveling clerics because they numbered too few to form a parish. In late 1834, Father Corry, pastor for both Fall River and Taunton, attempted to set up a church organization in Fall River.
In 1835 the sum of $659 was paid to Peter Mclarrin for the land where the present church now stands, and a wooden chapel was built which opened in 1837 and was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. During the 1840's large numbers of Irish immigrants came to Fall River to work in the mills. The number of new Catholics made it impossible to accommodate all the people at church services, and the pastor at the time, Father Murphy, saw the need for a new church. Work was begun on the present St. Mary's in 1852 and completed in 1855 except for the steeple, which was added in 1858. It was designed by Patrick C. Keely, a noted Brooklyn, New York architect who designed more than 500 churches in the United States and Canada and whose work constitutes the primary 19th century Roman Catholic archi- tectural heritage. His first Fall River conmission was St. Mary's, followed by St.
Patrick's (1881-9) and St. Joseph's (1880). According to parish tradition, Keely drew the plans for the church without seeing the site, and' the actual construction was accomplished partly by parishioners after work. The granite church which measures 126' long and 76' wide was constructed around the old chapel, which was used until just before the cathedral was roofed and :then was dismantled, (cont'd) 10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records, early maps, etc.) Atlas 1895: structure shown 1883: structure shown 1871- structure shown 1858- structure shown 1850: O1d Church shown St Mary s Cathedral, A Parish History, 1976 (Cont'd) -INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commnity : Fall River, Mass: *OIm NO 29-8 1/9-1/499 Property Name: St.
Mary's Cathedral Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. 9. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (Cont'd) removed and rebuilt on a nearby site. The interior, which was originally drab and plain, has been enriched over the years with richly carved wood furnishings, a marble floor, and stained glass windows. In 1855 the name of the church was changed to St. Mary's. In 1904 "old St. Mary' s" became the Cathedral with the formation of the new Fall River Diocese, the first diocese established by Pope Pius X. The present granite rectory, which dates from 1927, replaced a large Victorian stick-style rectory dating back at least to 1871 As the oldest Catholic Church in Fall River, housed in an outstanding early Gothic Revival granite building designed by one of America's foremost Catholic ecclesiastical architects, St.
Mary s meets criteria A and C of the National Register, individually 10 BIBLIOGRAPHY (cont d) The Diocese of Fall River, 1974, D 18 Fall River Herald News, Sept. 20, 1976 Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 Far NPS use anly recelved 115(62 date entered Page qq, Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State Fal1 River Multiple Resource Area *Inminotion/Type of Review 81. St. Joseph's Orphanage Substantive Review Date/Signature Keeper lets tanhDal 82. St. Louis Church Enfered Ln the -ieton Attest t*Keeper 83. St. Mary's Cathedral and Reg596Yea Attest /Keeper fh fhe National Register 84. St. Patrick's Church Intered In the National Register Attest /Keeper 85.
Stafford Mills Entered in the National Eegister Attest fReeper 86. Union Mills Entered In National Register Attest fReeper Attest 87. Valentine-French House Intered in the National Register Entered in the Mational Register 88. Wampanoag Mills fkleeper Attest /Keeper 89. Winslow, Luther Jr., House Intered In the Mational Begister Attest /Keeper Attest HKeeper 90. Woman's Club of Fall River Intered in the Nettopal 10g1ster Attest 216/83 delombyen 2/6/83 AelmmBzen 1/10/83 afelomByen 2/0/83 AelousBigun 2p0/83 AelmurByan 3/1/83 AulaDyar 7/16/83 AelnuaByen 2/k(s) AlbresByen 2/6/83 delmubyen NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES ITALUATION / RETURN SMEEI St. Mary's Cathedral and Rectory (Fall River MRA) Bristol Countv MASSACHUSETTS rosubmission nomination by porson or local government ovnor 'abjoction appoal Substantivo Roviow: Roviowor'a commonts: Working No. 115/83-15 Fod. Rag.
Data: 3,7-84 Dato Duo: 2/3/83-219/83 Action: ACCEPT1|16/83 mtered in the - _ RETURN Nat1onal Register REJECT. Fodoral Agoncy:. _sample _raquest i_ appeal _ NR decision -Nomination returnad for: Rocom. /Critoria_ Ravlower_ Disciplino_ Dato _eoo continuation shoet _tochnical corrections cited below substantivo reasons discussad bolow 1. Name 2 Location 3. Classification Prasons Chas 1. Ownor of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Représentation in Existing Surveys 7. Description nano eno _unattarad narrad plagabaad aummary paragraph compieteness clarity alterations/intogrity datas boundary selection 8.
Significance Perfed Aroes et Significance Specific dates Statoment of Significance (io ene peragraph) Cheek and justify below Buiider Architeet summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreege of nominated property Quadrangie neme. UMT Reterences Verbel boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: - national - _ state - local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date ttle 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to- Signed - Date.
Phone: 202 272-3504 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet NAME: LOCATION: PHOTO CREDIT: NEGATIVE FILED AT: IDENTIFICATION: photo # 1of2 St. Mary's Cathedral 407 Spring Street Fall River, Mass. Pamela Shields (1981) Fall River Office of Historic Preservation One Government Center Fall River, Mass.. 02722 (PSNR-6-1) St. Mary's Cathedral 3/4 View, looking south ST. MARU'S CATHEDRAL (FRONT) 4 Recior, 407 SPRING ST. Ansh - 6 - 13 FallRio Mrt, Ma Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000279