Historic Catholic Churches of Cincinnati

Part II: 1860 – 1879

A nine part Sunday series on the still remaining and architecturally significant Catholic churches of Cincinnati from 1840 - 1969.

This series is an attempt to document every historic Catholic Church remaining in Cincinnati. This is not a list of every church, nor is it a history of each Parish. It is simply to serve as a reference for the date of dedication, the architect and style of the church buildings themselves. Included are those that I find to have architectural or historical merit from the Catholic Church’s earliest beginnings in Cincinnati to those churches built just after Vatican II.

Churches in Part II move from the simpler Greek Revival structures prevalent in Part I to the Gothic and Romanesque Revival styles many associate with ecclesiastical architecture. We see English, Italian, French and particularly German variations of these styles. For instance, St. George shows elements of Rundbogenstil, a German variation of Romanesque Revival and St. Francis Xavier is typical of German Gothic Revival churches where the side aisles and the nave are of similar height.


Holy Cross - Immaculata
Original Name: Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mt. Adams– 30 Guido Street
Dedicated: 1860; Portico additions, 1911
Architect: Anton & Louis Picket
Style: Gothic Revival
Individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places

St. Francis Xavier
Downtown – 607 Sycamore Street
Dedicated: 1861; Renovation and tower, 1882
Architect: Anton & Louis Picket; Renovation, Samuel Hannaford & Sons
Style: Gothic Revival
A local historic landmark and individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places

St. Jerome
California – 131 Rohde Street
Dedicated: 1866
Architect: Unknown
Style: Romanesque Revival

St. Rose of Lima
East End – 2501 Riverside Drive
Dedicated: 1869; extensively rebuilt and renovated, 1894
Architect: Unknown; Renovation, Adolphus Druiding
Style: Italianate Romanesque
Individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places

St. Patrick
Northside – 1662 Blue Rock Road
Dedicated: 1873
Architect: Rev. David B. Walker
Style: Gothic Revival
Closed in 1991; now used by the Society of St. Pius X
Individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places

St. George
Clifton Heights – 42 Calhoun Street
Dedicated: 1874
Architect: Samuel Hannaford
Style: Romanesque Revival
Closed in 1993
Individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places

St. Anthony
Madisonville – 6104 Desmond Street

Dedicated: 1874; extensively rebuilt, 1891
Architect: Unknown
Style: Gothic Revival

Our Lady of Loretta
Linwood – 4928 Eastern Avenue

Dedicated: 1874
Architect: Unknown
Style: Stick Style
Closed in 1995; now used by Ark by the River Church The former Linwood Town Hall, built in 1874, was donated to the Archdiocese in 1903 and used as the Our Lady of Loretta parish church until they closed in 1995.


St. Francis de Sales
East Walnut Hills – 1600 Madison Road
Dedicated: 1879
Architect: Francis G. Himpler
Style: Gothic Revival
A local historic landmark, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and located in the De Sales Corner National Historic District

References and the map Historic Catholic Churches of Cincinnati of every church mentioned in this series will be included in Part IX.

Next Sunday, April 26
Part III: 1880 – 1899

Last Week: Part I

Historic images from the Library’s Cincinnati Memory Project.