The Church of the Incarnation in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

is a Catholic church listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

for its architecture. It was designed by French architect

Emmanuel Louis Masqueray Emmanuel Louis Masqueray (1861–1917) was a Franco-American preeminent figure in the history of American architecture, both as a gifted designer of landmark buildings and as an influential teacher of the profession of architecture dedicated t ...

, who also designed the Cathedral of Saint Paul and the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis. Its design combines elements of the

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

, and

Italian Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

styles. The church was listed on the National Register in 2022. At the turn of the 20th century, Minneapolis was in a period of rapid growth. The population grew from 202,718 in 1900 to 380,000 in 1920. The area between Lake Street and 40th Street was largely built between 1903 and 1914 with

houses and

Craftsman Craftsman may refer to: A profession *Artisan, a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative *Master craftsman, an artisan who has achieved such a standard that he may establish his own workshop and take o ...

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...

s. After World War I, the area south of 40th Street and north of

Minnehaha Creek Minnehaha Creek () is a tributary of the Mississippi River that flows east from Gray's Bay Dam on Lake Minnetonka through the suburban cities of Minnetonka, Hopkins, Saint Louis Park, and Edina, and the city of Minneapolis. The creek flows o ...

was developed. To meet the population's needs, Archbishop

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian-American actor and film director. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in New York City, he came to prominence with film audiences for his supporting roles i ...

authorized construction of a new parish in 1909. It was the first Catholic parish south of Lake Street. The area around 38th Street and Pleasant Avenue was sparsely populated at the time; at least a portion of the area was occupied by a corn field. The congregation initially worshipped at the Ark Lodge Masonic Temple while the first buildings were built. The first building was intended to house the school, with an auditorium that would serve temporarily as worship space while the main church was built. After that, a rectory was designed by local architects George Bertrand and Arthur Chamberlin and built in 1913. The first pastor, Father James Matthew Cleary, was very popular; the Masonic Temple was filled to its capacity of 500 for both Sunday masses. The parochial school was also popular, having to turn away 200 prospective students in 1913. As the parish expanded, the need for a permanent church building increased, so John Ireland hired Emmanuel Louis Masqueray to design the building.

References

{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Roman Catholic churches in Minneapolis National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Roman Catholic churches completed in 1918 Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Romanesque Revival architecture in Minnesota Colonial Revival architecture in Minnesota 1918 establishments in Minnesota 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States