The Church of the Sacred Heart is a historic Roman Catholic church building in Freeport, Minnesota, United States. The church was constructed from 1905 to 1906 as the third and largest building to house a congregation formed by the community's German American settlers in 1881.[2] The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 as Church of the Sacred Heart (Catholic) for its local significance in the theme of social history.[3] It was nominated for demonstrating the central role played by the Catholic church in Freeport and many other Central Minnesota communities settled by German immigrants.[2]
Church of the Sacred Heart (Catholic) | |
 The Church of the Sacred Heart viewed from the northwest | |
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| Location | 110 3rd Avenue NE, Freeport, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°39′45.5″N 94°41′10″W / 45.662639°N 94.68611°W |
| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1905–06 |
| Built by | Paul Koshiol |
| Architect | Parkinson & Dockendorff |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000906[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 12, 1991 |
History
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The Sacred Heart parish was originally part of a parish in New Munich, Minnesota. The heavily German-American community of Freeport asked the Diocese of St. Cloud for a priest to form their own parish, and Father Simplicius Wimmer arrived in response. Freeport's first church building was a wood-frame structure built in 1882, measuring 70 by 36 feet (21 by 11 m), with a rectory added in 1890. The parish outgrew this building and constructed a new one in 1896, which was a brick-veneered building measuring 154 by 66 feet (47 by 20 m) and seating 1,000 people. The second building was completed at a cost of $30,000 (equivalent to $1,098,720 in 2023). The original wood building was donated to the parish of St. Rose and moved five miles (8 km) north.[4]
The 1896 building was struck by lightning in 1904 and destroyed by fire. The parish immediately organized a rebuilding effort, and even the priest pitched in. The third building was even larger and more ornate than the second building, with a total construction cost of $115,000 (equivalent to $3,899,778 in 2023) by the time it was finished in 1906. It required 38 boxcar loads of brick for its construction.[4]
The parish is now part of a cluster with Immaculate Conception in New Munich and St. Rose of Lima in St. Rosa, Minnesota.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b Koop, Michael (February 1990). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Church of the Sacred Heart (Catholic)". National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-06-10. With four accompanying photos from 1989
- ^ "Church of the Sacred Heart (Catholic)". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
- ^ a b Alan K. Lathrop (2003). Churches of Minnesota: An Illustrated Guide. University of Minnesota Press. p. 55. ISBN 0816629099.
- ^ "Welcome to our Tri-Parish Community". Tri-Parish Community. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
External links
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