All Saints Catholic Church (Stuart, Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Historic All Saints/Saints Center for Culture and the Arts
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The reconstructed church in 2010
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 320 N. Fremont Stuart, Iowa |
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| Built | 1908-1910 |
| Architect | Maginnis and Walsh |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
| NRHP reference No. | 00001478 |
| Added to NRHP | December 7, 2000 |
The Historic All Saints/Saints Center for Culture and the Arts is a special building in Stuart, Iowa. It was once known as All Saints Catholic Church. This building served as a church for many years.
Sadly, a big fire badly damaged the church. But it was rebuilt and now has a new purpose. Today, it is a cultural center for the community. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a rare example of Neo-Byzantine architecture in Iowa.
History of All Saints
Early Beginnings
The story of the Catholic Church in Stuart began in August 1871. A priest from Des Moines came to town for the first time. He held Mass, which is a church service. At first, Mass was held in school rooms or private homes. Back then, all of Iowa was part of the Diocese of Dubuque.
The first church building was finished in 1874. It was dedicated, or officially opened, on November 1, 1877. This day is known as the Feast of All Saints. The church was named after this special day. A priest named Rev. James Foley added two parts to the church. He also built the rectory, which is the priest's house. He served the church for 24 years. In 1881, the parish became part of the Diocese of Davenport.
Building the Historic Church
In 1902, Rev. M.S. McNamara became the new pastor. He led the plans to build a brand new church. The famous architects Maginnis and Walsh designed the building. Construction started in September 1908 and finished in 1910.
The church was built using blue Bedford limestone. It combined two styles: Byzantine Revival and Romanesque Revival. The building was very large. It was about 70 feet (21 meters) wide and 120 feet (37 meters) long. The highest point was 110 feet (34 meters) tall. Inside, it could seat 600 people.
A large dome, 90 feet (27 meters) high, covered the interior. This dome had 16 windows. The outside of the dome was covered in shiny copper. The inside of the church was beautiful. It had Italian marble, special woods, and hand-painted pictures. There were also gold decorations and statues. The windows were made by Franz Mayer & Co. in Munich, Germany. The church cost $65,000 to build.
Bishop James Davis officially opened the new church. Another important bishop, James J. Keane, gave the sermon. The next year, in 1911, the parish joined the new Diocese of Des Moines.
Fire and Rebuilding
On August 22, 1995, a terrible event happened. Someone intentionally set the church on fire. Firefighters from 20 towns rushed to help. They came from up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) away. The fire was huge. The outside walls of the church remained standing. But the rest of the building was destroyed. A small chapel in the back had only minor damage. The person responsible for the fire was caught.
The church leaders decided that rebuilding the old church would be too expensive. Instead, they chose to build a new church. It was built on 95 acres (38 hectares) of land. The new church cost $2.5 million. It can seat 400 people and has a large parking lot. The cornerstone for the new church was placed in August 1997.
In September 1997, the damaged historic church building was sold. A group called the Project Restore Foundation bought it for $7,200. They wanted to fix the building. Their goal was to turn it into a community cultural center. They estimated the cost would be around $3.5 million. The architects for this project were Kirk Blunck and Jeff Wagner.
The plan was to make the outside of the old church look like it did before the fire. The inside would have a modern feel. It would show the exposed stone and brick walls. The dome would be rebuilt using the original stones. These stones had been carefully saved and numbered. The old copper on the dome had melted. So, new copper sheeting was used.
Many grants helped with the restoration. In 2000, the State Historical Society of Iowa gave $60,000. In 2007, Project Restore received a $545,000 grant from Vision Iowa. This is a state program for tourism attractions. Also in 2007, the people of Stuart voted to approve $1.7 million to help rebuild the church. Private donations also added $232,000.
A small chapel on the west side of the church was the first part finished. This happened between 2002 and 2003. In 2005, a group of Serbian Orthodox Christians started using this chapel. The new dome was lifted into place in October 2008. Work on the inside of the building continued after that. The entire project was finished in 2010.
