Efforts are underway to preserve Auburn’s first Catholic church.
On June 16, parishioners celebrated their final mass at Holy Family church. The Diocese of Rochester made the decision to close the church due to structural issues, making walking in or around the building unsafe.
Even before the final mass, parishioners banded together to form the Holy Family Organization to Preserve and Enodure (HOPE) to preserve the historic structure with the goal of keeping it open for Catholic worship.
Represented by Roblee Historic Preservation, HOPE is seeking a local landmark designation for the North Street Church. Andrew Roblee with Roblee Historic Preservation told Finger Lakes News Radio that, to accomplish this, he has submitted a statement of significance to the Historic Resources Review Board.
After reviewing the statement and accompanying documents, it is hoped the board will then vote to recommend city council designate the building as an historic landmark.
The board will discuss the matter at its November 12 meeting.
The church located at 85 North Street was erected in the 1860s to serve the city’s growing Catholic population, replacing the first Holy Family Chuch, a former Methodist Society Building dedicated as a Catholic church in 1830.
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