St. Michael's Catholic Church is a parish of the Catholic Church in Spalding, Nebraska, part of the Diocese of Grand Island. It is noted for its historic buildings, notably the parish church, academy, and convent, which were added to the National Register as St. Michael's Catholic Church Complex in 1983.

Architecture

The

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

parish church was designed by J.H. Craddock, modeled after a 13th-century church in Belgium. Built on a cruciform plan, it measures 152 feet along its north-south axis and 60 feet along its east-west axis, with two prominent towers flanking its main entrance on the south side. A

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

decoratively surrounded by concentric pointed arches is also situated on the south facade. The building is mostly brick, including detail work such as

hoodmold In architecture, a hood mould, hood, label mould (from Latin ''labia'', lip), drip mould or dripstone, is an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater, historically often in form of a '' pediment''. This mould ...

details above the portals and

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...

ing; the gable roof is covered with clay tiles, while its buttress weatherings, battlement copings, and water table are done in stone. The academy building is a rectangular two-story brick edifice completed in 1912, a vernacular interpretation of the Renaissance Revival style. Gabled wall

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...

s with elbowed fronts and stone copings penetrate the roofline. A

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...

to the east of the academy was erected by the Our Lady of Lourdes graduating class of 1937. The convent building, built during 1926–27, was designed by Omaha architect Jacob M. Nachtigal. and The main (south) facade displays an entry "pavilion" of wall pilasters visually supporting a pedimented front with corner battlements. The parapet wall shows a prominent wall cornice which arches at the pavilion and continues around the east and west facades.

History

In 1879, the Irish Catholic Colonization Association was incorporated, following development work by

James O'Connor James O'Connor may refer to: Politics and law * James O'Connor (Louisiana politician) (1870–1941), U.S Representative from Louisiana * James F. O'Connor (1878–1945), U.S Representative from Montana * James Francis Thaddeus O'Connor (1886–1 ...

, Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska; John Ireland, Bishop of St. Paul; and John Spalding, Bishop of Peoria. The association purchased 25,000 acres of land in northeastern Greeley County from the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad, with the goal of establishing a colony for Irish Americans fleeing harsh conditions in the east. The town of Spalding, named after Bishop Spalding, was established in 1881, and a small frame church was built the following year and dedicated to St. Michael. The community soon outgrew the frame church, and a new brick church was built in 1890. It was dedicated by Richard Scannell, Bishop of Omaha on June 9, 1891. The first church was remodeled into a school, staffed by the Sisters of Mercy until 1900, and thereafter by Dominican sisters from Kentucky. A new school building and a new convent were completed in 1913 and 1927 respectively. The congregation outgrew the brick church as well, and James Henry Craddock of Omaha was hired to design a newer building; Craddock also designed the Church of the Visitation in O'Connor. The cornerstone of the present structure was laid in 1909, and Bishop Scannell dedicated the new church on September 29, 1914.

References

External links

* Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska Gothic Revival church buildings in Nebraska Renaissance Revival architecture in Nebraska Roman Catholic churches completed in 1914 Churches in Greeley County, Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Greeley County, Nebraska 1882 establishments in Nebraska Religious organizations established in 1882 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States {{Nebraska-church-stub