George I. Lovatt Sr. (February 13, 1872 – September 5, 1958) was an American architect who designed numerous Roman Catholic churches in Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and elsewhere during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Childhood and architectural education

George Ignatius Lovatt Sr. was born on February 13, 1872, in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. He studied at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art during the academic terms 1890/91 and 1892/93. His first documented commission resulted from the death of Adrian Worthington Smith, who had begun work on the Monastery of the Visitation (now demolished) in Wilmington, Delaware. Following Smith's death in 1892, Lovatt completed the convent and continued his studies at the PMSI at the same time. In 1894 he established an architectural practice in Philadelphia, with offices at 424 Walnut Street.

Practice

Lovatt proved to be a formidable competitor for the considerable Catholic church work which was initiated in the time. Although

Edwin Forrest Durang Edwin Forrest Durang (April 17, 1829June 7, 1911) was an American architect. He kept offices in Philadelphia and specialized in ecclesiastical and theatrical design. Life and career Durang was born in New York City, into a distinguished theatric ...

and Henry Dagit designed a number of Catholic church and institutional buildings, Durang's firm moved to New York City in the 1930s, leaving Dagit, Lovatt, and the Hoffman-Henon firm to divide major Catholic commissions. Lovatt's firm received both local and national honors, including a commendation for the Church of the Most Precious Blood, Philadelphia, in 1926 at the International Exhibition held in Barcelona, Spain. He followed this honor in 1930 by winning the Philadelphia Chapter of the AIA's gold medal for his Church of the Holy Child, Philadelphia. In 1927 he was joined in the firm by his son George I. Lovatt Jr., but did not retire until 1940. He died September 5, 1958, in Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Works include

* Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Altoona, Pennsylvania * Holy Spirit Church,

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

* Ascension Church, Bradley Beach, New Jersey * St. Joseph Church,

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

* Holy Name Church, Camden, New Jersey * Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Cape May, New Jersey * Church of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Chester, Pennsylvania * St. John Church,

Collingswood, New Jersey Collingswood is a borough in Camden County, New Jersey, located east of Center City Philadelphia. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough's population was 13,926,Cornwall, Pennsylvania * St. Elizabeth Church and Convent,

Cornwells Heights, Pennsylvania Cornwells Heights is a census-designated place located in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community was formerly part of Cornwells Heights-Eddington, but was split into two separate CDPs. As of the 2010 cen ...

* Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Darby, Pennsylvania * St. Andrew Church, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania * St. Joseph Church, Equality, Illinois * Assumption Church, Hackettstown, New Jersey * Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Harrisburg,

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

* St. Mary Magdeline Church, Millville, New Jersey * Holy Saviour Church,

Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a municipality with home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the 7 ...

* Immaculate Conception Church, Philadelphia * Holy Angels Church, Philadelphia * Holy Cross Church, Philadelphia * St. Anthony of Padua Church, Philadelphia * St. Bridgit Church, Philadelphia * St. Agnes Church, Philadelphia * St. Aloysius Church, Philadelphia * St. Ambrose Church, Philadelphia * Our Lady of Hope (Holy Child) Church, Philadelphia * St. Leo Church, Philadelphia * Acts of the Apostles (former) Church, Philadelphia * Sacred Heart Church, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania * St. Ann Church,

Wildwood, New Jersey Wildwood is a city in Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area and is a popular summer resort destination along the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's year-rou ...

* Sacred Heart of Jesus Church,

Williamstown, Pennsylvania Williamstown is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is northeast of Harrisburg. Formerly, anthracite coal mines and hosiery mills were located in the borough. The population was 1,303 at the 2020 census. Williams ...

* St. Philomena Church, Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, * St. Ann Church, Wilmington, Delaware * St. Elisabeth Church, Wilmington, Delaware * St. Joseph Church, Wilmington, Delaware * St. Peter Church, Columbia, South Carolina

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovett, George I. Sr. 1872 births 1958 deaths American ecclesiastical architects Architects of Roman Catholic churches Architects of cathedrals Architects from Pennsylvania