St. Paul's Episcopal Church is a parish of the Episcopal Church in

Cleveland Heights, Ohio Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs. The city's population was 45,312 at the 2020 census. As of the 2010 census, Cleveland Heights was ranked the 8th larges ...

. The current rector is the Rev. Jeanne Leinbach, installed on October 23, 2015. She is the first female rector of St. Paul's. Her predecessor was the Rev. Alan M. Gates, who served from 2004–2014, before his election as Bishop of Massachusetts. St. Paul's is a leading church and has the largest congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. The church building is a Cleveland Heights landmark. Located at 2747 Fairmount Blvd, it is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

in the Fairmount Boulevard District, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. St. Paul's was first established in the city of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

on October 26, 1846. The congregation did not have its own building until 1851, as a frame building completed in 1849 burned completely. A small brick church in the

Gothic Revival style 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 ...

was completed for the parish at

Euclid Euclid (; grc-gre, Wikt:Εὐκλείδης, Εὐκλείδης; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the ''Euclid's Elements, Elements'' trea ...

and Sheriff (East 4th) Streets by 1858. St. Paul's congregation outgrew the church, however, as well as a subsequent building at East 40th Street (later sold to the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and renamed the Church of the Conversion of

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

the Apostle in 1930). The first service at St. Paul's, Cleveland Heights, was on April 25, 1928. The church was designed by J. Byers Hayes of

Walker & Weeks Walker and Weeks was an architecture firm based in Cleveland, Ohio, founded by Frank Ray Walker (September 29, 1877 - July 9, 1949) and Harry E. Weeks (October 2, 1871 - December 21, 1935). Background Harry Weeks was born October 2, 1871, in W. S ...

in the English Gothic style. The present nave was dedicated in 1951.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

spoke there in May 1963 (months before the

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, also known as simply the March on Washington or The Great March on Washington, was held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic righ ...

). The

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

instrument ensemble

Apollo's Fire Apollo's Fire, The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra is a popular and critically acclaimed period-instrument ensemble specializing in early music (Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic) based in Cleveland, Ohio. The GRAMMY-winning ensembl ...

recorded their 2018 album ''Songs of Orpheus'' at St. Paul's. The album won the 2019

Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by m ...

Organs

The current nave houses three pipe organs. The most notable of these three organs is a 1952 instrument built by local builder Walter Holtkamp. In the late 1980s, the church installed an instrument by the Austrian builder Gerhard Hradetzky. Hradetky's instrument is installed in the rear gallery of the sanctuary. The final, and most recent organ the church has taken possession of is an organ positive by Vladimir Slajch. The current organist and choirmaster of St. Paul's is

Karel Paukert Karel Paukert (pronounced Karl Poukert) (January 1, 1935 in Skuteč in the Czech Republic) is a Czech-American organist, choir director and educator. He graduated from the Prague Conservatory, and the Ghent Conservatory, Belgium. He studied under ...

. The Holtkamp organ is considered the "definitive" example for its builder.An Encyclopedia of Organ
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References

External links

St. Paul's Church website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Paul's Episcopal Church (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Cleveland Heights, Ohio Episcopal churches in Ohio Religious organizations established in 1846 Churches in Cuyahoga County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Cuyahoga County, Ohio Historic district contributing properties in Ohio 1846 establishments in Ohio