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The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously Wednesday at an emergency meeting to designate a near-east-side church facing demolition as a historic landmark.
The Church of the Holy Cross at 125 N. Oriental Ave.—in a neighborhood that carries its name—has been slated for demolition by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis, the church announced Friday.
If the preservation group’s measure is approved by the Metropolitan Development Commission, the Archdiocese would be banned from carrying out its demolition plan. The MDC’s next meeting is April 15.
The church property includes four buildings: a 103-year-old Italian Renaissance church building known for its 136-foot-tall bell tower, an attached rectory, a gymnasium and a school building. The oldest building, the school, was constructed in 1902. The latest, the gymnasium, was built in 1948.
The church building has been unused since 2016—not long after the dwindling Holy Cross parish was merged with the nearby Saint Philip Neri Parish. Holy Cross Central School closed on May 26, 2023.
Church leaders said plans have been made to demolish the church building and the rectory while leaving the gym and the school building. Plans call for the property to be sold.
During the emergency meeting of the IHPC, the wishes of hundreds of residents and preservation organizations such as Indiana Landmarks clashed with church leadership, which cited canon law for its decision to demolish the sanctuary spaces.
Members of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association gathered more than 700 signatures on a petition against the planned demolition. About a dozen members spoke Wednesday evening, citing the cultural and historical importance of the structure. When commissioners asked supporters of the preservation measure to stand, all attendees except an attorney for the Archdiocese stood.
“(The property) has become integral to the fabric of the Holy Cross neighborhood and serves as our namesake,” said Tim O’Sullivan, chair of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association Land Use Committee. O’Sullivan said demolishing the structure “would be an insult to the memory of the artisans who crafted it.”
The measure had the full support of city leadership and Mayor Joe Hogsett, Historic Preservation Commission Administrator Meg Busch told the commission. But the city later contacted IBJ to say Hogsett was neutral on the decision.
Speakers, including Mark Dollasse 0f Indiana Landmarks, cited in their remarks a resistance from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis to meet regarding the demolition plan. On Wednesday, Greenfield-based attorney Paul Carroll spoke on behalf of the faith organization.
Carroll said that a decision to prohibit demolition prevents the free exercise of religion. In the eyes of his client, Carroll said, not demolishing the structure would ensure the former place of worship could someday be used in a manner the Archdiocese views as immoral.
The decision to demolish the building came from Father Jeffrey Dufresne, the pastor of the St. Philip Neri Parish.
In a letter, Dufresne said the decision was based on Catholic canon law, which protects former church spaces from uses inconsistent with their “inherent dignity.”
“Protecting the building from uses inconsistent with its dignity would mean ensuring, in perpetuity, that nothing ever takes place in the former church that would contradict Catholic teaching or the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Dufresne wrote. “Practically speaking, that is not possible.”
Carroll used the former St. Joseph Church’s new life as St. Joseph Brewery & Public House as an example of a “sordid use” that is immoral in the church’s view.
“Placing restrictions on demolition would require that the building have the potential to be used … [for a] sordid use, and that’s not something Father Dufresne would agree to,” he said.
Dufresne decided against selling the structure to another owner because it can’t be guaranteed that the subsequent owners will follow canon law. In the case of St. Joseph Brewery, the property changed hands several times after Archdiocese leaders sold it, Carroll said.
Indianapolis City-County Council member Jesse Brown, a Democrat who represents the near-east side, testified in support of the historic designation. Brown said he is a confirmed Catholic and understands canon law. But, he said that law isn’t relevant in discussions about the future of the property.
“Nobody is intending to disrespect the values of the church here,” Brown said. “But any destruction of historic buildings, particularly ones with such deep cultural relevance to the community, needs to be a community decision, not a unilateral one.”
After the vote, Carroll told reporters he was disappointed in the outcome.
The church structure has fallen into disrepair over the past decade. Part of the building facade fell onto the street in 2015. Indiana Landmarks put the property on its 10 Most Endangered List in both 2019 and 2020.
In Indianapolis, refurbishing old churches is not uncommon.
Since 2015, St. Joseph Brewery & Public House has operated out of a former Catholic church at 540 N. College Ave. that closed in 1954.
Also in the downtown area, Meridian Arch condos opened in 2006 in the former Methodist Episcopal Church at 802 N. Meridian St.; Fletcher Pointe condos opened in 2012 in the former Fletcher Place Methodist Church at 501 Fletcher Ave.; and the Temple Lofts apartments opened in Phillips Temple, 1226 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St., in 2016.
Indiana Landmarks itself has operated from a former church since 2012, after renovating the old Central Avenue Methodist Church at 1201 Central Ave.
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BS
Which part is BS?
I agree that demolishing this beautiful church makes no sense, and I am not a Catholic. We, in America, do not value our history. We tear down historic buildings with little regard. I went to a little 6 room schoolhouse in Shelby County, and they tore down the original building that was the first multi-room schoolhouse in Shelby County, and left the ugly added-on section that sat empty for many years. My wife and I adopted our daughter from Russia in 2001, and while in-country discovered buildings, particularly churches, there that are up to 300-400 years old. Preserve our historical buildings, repurpose if necessary, but don’t destroy history, and the denigrate the legacy of the artisans that built them. Kudos for the preservation society and the neighborhood association for stepping up!
If you don’t want the Archdiocese to demolish the building, then buy it as a community center with a proviso in the deed that it may never be used as a commercial building, especially one serving alcohol as a commercial enterprise, and a provision the Archdiocese has final right to decide, in its sole discretion, if a proposed use is appropriate for a former Catholic church. The Church has history on this, with the ultimate use of St. Joseph’s.
The neighborhood wants the building to remain standing, so let them buy it and invest the millions necessary to bring it up to a safe status, and not permit the building to be used for any purpose not in keeping with the Archdiocese’s concerns. Otherwise, the Archdiocese should be permitted to demolish the building and let a developer step in and build something else on the site. Put up or shut up, neighborhood.
This isn’t some old warehouse or fire station, or even a school. It’s a Catholic church. It has a religous tradition that is first and foremost over being a landmark for a neighborhood. It isn’t owned by its former congregation; the Catholic Church is hierarchical and the property belongs to the Archbishop, not the parishioners. The Archdiocese has legitimate concerns over future use, and those should be honored. The head of the parish has determined it should be demolished, and the city should have no right to contradict that fundementally religious decision.
They’ve tried. The archdiocese refuses to sell.
Exactly.
I’d like to see some proof regarding who has offered to buy the property and that the archdiocese has said no.
Interesting how the separation of church and state gets ignored when the state wants to interfere with the church. It’s hogwash and poppycock that an abandoned church is “integral” to the “fabric” of the neighborhood. If it were, then there would not have been dwindling attendance that led to the consolidation of the parishes. Nor is it an insult to any artisan to have a building go away; I’ve got $100 that says they don’t have an “artisan” day in the neighborhood naming and celebrating all the workers who helped with the construction. Judas Priest.
That’s not how separation of church and state works, sorry. That just means that the State can’t prevent people from practicing their religion and religion can’t enforce their belief system into rule of law (even though they do all the time). It doesn’t mean the church gets to do whatever it wants. They’re still subject to all of the same zoning and property laws as everyone else, they don’t get a free pass on that like they do with taxes (and since they don’t pay taxes, I think that gives the City and the community more of a reason to have a say). In fact, because of separation of church and state, Catholic canon law has no legal sway here. It can be considered but has no teeth.
Also, the archdiocese has burned most of the good will that he had with the city and the community. He has a bad habit of letting properties rot and become hazards just like the absentee slumlords, outright refusing to work in good faith with neighborhoods who are interested in saving these buildings. I view this as him being held accountable – he can’t just demo properties by neglect anymore. That era is over.
I was shocked when I went to my first Catholic festival 15 years ago and discovered that they were selling liquor and gambling on church property – with kids present. I’ve been to several other parishes festivals over the years and it’s the same at each of them. Sordid use indeed! Sounds like the Archbishop needs to tear down every church in town.
As a person born and raised a Catholic and an Alter Boy as well, the shock I received was reading this article about the objection of the church leaders to alcohol being consumed in a former church facility.
Unless I missed something, I’ve never attended a Catholic Mass where it wasn’t consumed.
In fact, one of the most attractive features to joining the church is that it’s okay to do darn near anything as long as you only do it in “moderation”.
Have you not heard the parable of Jesus turning water into wine? The entire basis of Christianity is keeping the party going all night
These entities that are blocking the demolition should provide the funding to save it. It’s not the responsibility of the church if they have a willing buyer.
The Historic Landmark designation would open up funding that is currently not available to the building.
So, JJ, I think that may be in Knights of Columbus Charter.
Maybe if the archdiocese would quit tearing down beacons of their religion and tradition, they would stabilize or grow the parrish numbers vs making it feel like its a lost religion.
And also, isn’t the catholic church losing money left and right. They are just as bottom line focused as anyone. Probably get more money with the objects on it than an empty lot