St. John's Catholic Church (Bangor, Maine) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. John's Catholic Church
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 217 York St., Bangor, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1855 |
| Architect | Patrick Charles Keely |
| Architectural style | Gothic |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000142 |
| Added to NRHP | April 02, 1973 |
St. John's Catholic Church is a very old and important church located at 217 York Street in Bangor, Maine. It was built a long time ago in 1855. This was a time when many people were against immigrants, especially Irish people. The church became a strong symbol of the Irish-American community in Bangor. It is also a great example of a building style called Gothic Revival. Because of its history and design, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. This list helps protect important places in the United States.
What St. John's Church Looks Like
The church is on the south side of York Street. It is made of brick and has a roof made of slate. The building is shaped like a cross when you look at it from above. This is called a cruciform plan.
A tall tower, about 180 feet (55 meters) high, sticks out a little from the front of the church. You can enter the church through the middle of the tower. There are also entrances on the sides of the tower. All the doorways have pointed, arch-shaped tops, which is typical for Gothic style. Strong supports called buttresses help hold up the side walls and corners of the building.
Inside the church, there is a long main hall called a nave. On the sides, there are two parts that stick out, called transepts. These areas hold smaller chapels. The columns that hold up the roof have special tops. These tops are decorated with small angel figures called cherubim and designs of leaves and plants.
The church also has a very old organ. It was built in 1860 by E. and G.G. Hook. This organ was fixed up in 1981. There are fewer than 55 organs like this one, with three keyboards, still working today.
The Church's History
A famous architect from New York City named Patrick Charles Keely designed St. John's Church. It was built between 1855 and 1856. At this time, a group called the Know Nothing movement was very active. This group was against immigrants, especially Irish people.
Most of the workers who built the church were Irish laborers from the local area. Because of the strong anti-immigrant feelings, guards had to be placed at the building site. They protected the church from threats by people who wanted to destroy it.
Today, the church building also holds the offices for a group of churches called St. Paul the Apostle Parish. This group includes St. John's Church, plus St. Mary's in Bangor, St. Joseph and St. Theresa of Avila in Brewer, St. Matthew in Hampden, and St. Gabriel in Winterport.
A former mayor of Bangor, Dennis Soucy, started a credit union in the church's basement in 1956. A credit union is like a bank, but it's owned by its members. This credit union was first called St. John's Credit Union. It was created to help the church members. Today, it is known as Bangor Federal Credit Union and has many members.
