The blog covers the thoughts and actions of the many great nuns of the Ursuline Order, here in Youngstown since 1874.
It's challenging to maintain a blog week after week, so kudos to the Ursulines for keeping up the conversation.
This post over the weekend was interesting, as it chronicled the closing of Sunday of Immaculate Conception Church on the near east side of the city.
Along with St. Elizabeth in adjacent Campbell which closed last month, one can ask:
what is the future for these (desanctified) structures?
For the 128 year old Immaculate Conception, the altar, the music organ, and other sacred artifacts will be transferred to Sacred Heart , also on the east side, where the parishes will merge.
But the architecturally important structure remains... and the clock is ticking.
Hopefully the building is well secured from the elements and vandals in the short run. We need that to be the first critical step.
Is there a future as a community center?
As a new church who hopefully won't sell off its treasured windows?
As a restaurant?
As some interesting apartments in close proximity to downtown?
As a home for a family?
what do you think?
2 comments:
I feel that these treasures of architecture need to be saved from the wrecking ball. An interesting reuse of the structure should be dicussed with the diosese of Youngstown and potential developers. We only have to look at what other citys have done to see the great potential. Apartments would be the logical choice.
I have spent many, many days inside the Immaculate Conception Church. Four generations of my family were married in the building, along with baptisms, funerals, first communions and other celebrations. It would be sad to see such a classic structure torn down or used as a bar or restaurant. I would live to see the building used in a more appropriate function as a community center or possibly a gallery to display all the Youngstown closed church artwork and artifacts.
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