St. Mary's Church - Westfield, MA - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

St. Mary's Church dates back to 1853 when the first wooden Roman Catholic church was constructed in Westfield. The church was nearly burned on July 3, 1854 by a crowd of anti-Catholic's led by members of the Native American Party commonly known as the Know-Nothing Party. The mob was quelled by the town selectman Hiram Hull.

The church became a parish in the Diocese of Springfield in 1862 and actually did burn to the ground in March of 1881. Subsequently, the current church was built and dedicated on March 1, 1885. The High Victorian Gothic style brick building with brownstone trim has a basilica in plan, with a corner tower on the east side and a polychrome-patterned slate roof. A concrete stairway leads to the gabled-roof main entrance of a 2.5 story nave. Two other sets of stairs lead a gabled-roof entrance on either side of the main entrance.

The front of the church features five pointed-arch windows on the second level. They are arranged symmetrically with the tallest window in the center and the smallest windows on each end. At the upper level is a tripartite set of windows below a gable roof topped by a cross. The side of the church contains five pairs of pointed arch windows. The tower is topped by a hexagonal spire.

In March of 2008, a three year process of renovating the church was completed. Improvements to the church include bathrooms, air-conditioning, an elevator and handicapped accessibility.

St, Mary's Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building to the Westfield Center Historic District.

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 03/01/1885 Age of Church building determined by?: Church website If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Roman Catholic If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 10:00 AM Street address of Church: 30 Bartlett Street Westfield, MA, MA United States 01085 Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed

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