St Bernard Catholic Church - Akron, Ohio - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

In 1860, German-speaking families were unable to express themselves comfortably as members of a large Irish, English-speaking congregation at St. Vincent Church in Akron. So they banded together and decided to build their own church and parish.
On October 6, 1861, a group of 46 people met to establish a German parish in Akron. At the initial meeting $2.75 was collected. Lacking in funds, but not in spirit, these people, mostly Bavarians, wrote to King Louis of Bavaria. He responded with a $500 contribution. The parish founders realized success when the cornerstone was laid in the church building at the northeast corner of Broadway and [now] University Ave.
During the fundraising activities, it was agreed that the honor of selecting the name for the new church would go to the parishioner who contributed the largest sum of money. That honor fell to Bernadine Luhr, niece of Father John Luhr of St. Peter Church in Cleveland. She chose the name for her patron saint, St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Fr. Luhr laid the cornerstone of the original church.
In 1887, parishioners purchased a piece of land cater-corner to the church for $12,000. Students enthusiastically moved into the new $61,000 school from facilities in the church basement. The school building still stands, though it was closed as a parish school in 1977.
On July 12, 1901, the parishioners, pastor Father John Baptist Broun, and architect W. P. Ginther undertook construction of the current church building at the northwest corner of Broadway and State St. The structure was patterned after cathedrals in the Rhineland region of Europe.
In August, 1901, the first foundation stone was blessed and placed into position at a ceremony witnessed by over 100 people in Akron. The cornerstone was set in place in June 1902. Over 7,000 people attended the occasion which included a huge parade.
Distinctively German-Romanesque with baroque influence, it is strikingly recognizable for its twin towers, double gallery and rounded apses. The church is constructed of Devonian age Berea sandstone from Deep Lock Quarry in Peninsula, Ohio. The stone was shipped by rail to Akron. The statuary and altars in the church are comprised of Carrara marble quarried in the Apuan Alps of Italy. Also used is yellow Sienna marble and green Verde Antique (serpentinite). Parishioners donated the stained-glass windows, imported from Germany.
This magnificent church opened its doors on October 9, 1905. The $160,000 ($4.1 million in 2008 dollars) cost for the construction of this church was paid in full by its parishioners upon completion of the building. The fact that the parishioners paid all expenses as they built the church, and never had a debt, allowed St. Bernard Church to be a consecrated church.
It was placed on the National Register on March 9, 1989.

Street address: 240 S Broadway St Akron, Ohio USA 44308 County / Borough / Parish: Summit County Year listed: 1989 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1900-1924 Historic function: Religion Current function: Religion Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   05/01/2011 AHOLLYS visited it 11/22/2009 buffalohiker visited it

View all visits/logs