Provides a brief outline of the history of St. George Church in Corryville-Cincinnati, OH.

1. St. George
Catholic Church
-
“Old St. George”
Image taken by/property of Matthew Stoll

2. Background
• 1814 – First Catholic Service in Cincinnati
• 1819 – First Catholic Church in Cincinnati
Background image courtesy of Cincinnati Area GIS: http://cagisonline.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/index.html

3. Background
• 1814 – First Catholic Service in Cincinnati
• 1819 – First Catholic Church in Cincinnati
• Current Site of St. Francis Seraph:
Image retrieved from: http://www.stfrancisseraphschool.org/st-francis-seraph-church

4. Background
• 1814 – First Catholic Service in Cincinnati
• 1819 – First Catholic Church in Cincinnati
• 1821 – Diocese of Cincinnati established
• 1850 – Promoted to Archdiocese

5. The Roman Catholic Dioceses of Ohio
Image retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cincinnati_Catholic_map.png

6. Roots
• 1868 – St. George Parish formed
– 2-story building with chapel and school
– Same year the Diocese of Columbus is established

7. Image retrieved from: http://tctphotos.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html

8. Roots
• 1868 – St. George Parish formed
– 2-story building with chapel and school
– Same year the Diocese of Columbus is established
• 1874 – St. George Catholic Church dedicated
– Designed by Samuel Hannaford (heard of him?)
– Romanesque Revival styled
• 1895 – 700 member families, High School
classes offered for the first time

9. Image taken from: Williams, Caroline. "The Spires of Saint George." Cincinnati - Steeples, Streets, and Steps. Burlington, KY:
Penandhoe, 1963. 52-53. Print.

10. Image taken from: Illustrated Business Directory and Picturesque Cincinnati. 1896. Print.

11. St. George Catholic Church School
• 1914 – School built across the street
– Jacobethan style

12. St. George Catholic Church School
Image retrieved from: http://home.fuse.net/ndacincy/ndacincysites.htm

13. Monastery/Rectory Addition
• 1928 – New addition dedicated
– Romanesque style
– Original Church building is now Catholic Teacher’s
College

15. Image retrieved from: http://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/stgeorge/historicimages.html

16. Image retrieved from: http://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/stgeorge/historicimages.html

17. Changes
• 1947 - Catholic Teacher’s College moved out.
– St. George’s original home was demolished and
replaced by a parking lot
• Meanwhile UC expanded EAST into Corryville,
demolishing everything in its path

18. Background image courtesy of Cincinnati Area GIS: http://cagisonline.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/index.html

19. Background image courtesy of Cincinnati Area GIS: http://cagisonline.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/index.html

20. Background image courtesy of Cincinnati Area GIS: http://cagisonline.hamilton-co.org/cagisonline/index.html

21. 1957
Image retrieved from:
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20090529&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=905290802&Ref=PH

22. Image retrieved from: 1966
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20090529&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=905290802&Ref=PH

23. Image retrieved from: 1970
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20090529&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=905290802&Ref=PH

24. Changes
• 1947 - Catholic Teacher’s College moved out.
– St. George’s original home was demolished and
replaced by a parking lot
• Meanwhile UC expanded EAST into Corryville
• New structures built:

25. Image retrieved from: http://magazine.uc.edu/explore/living_dining/daniels.html
Daniels Hall Image retrieved from: http://www.magazine.uc.edu/explore/living_dining/dabney.html
Dabney Hall
Image retrieved from: http://www.greatdegree.com/schools/University-of-Cincinnati-818.html
Image retrieved from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Residence_halls,_Scioto_Street,_UC.jpg French Hall (photo shows more
Morgans, Scioto, and Sawyer Halls recent addition/renovation)

26. Morgans Hall
FUTURE
Sigma Sigma Scioto Hall
Commons FORMER
Sawyer Hall
French Hall FORMER
Sander Hall
Dabney Hall
FUTURE
Ferocious Sander Dining Hall
Bearcat Statue (e.g. 45 West
FUTURE Charlton, African
Edwards American Cultural
Center and Resource
Center, sketchy
computer lab
Image taken from: Giglierano, building)
Geoffrey J., Deborah A. Overmyer,
and Frederic L. Propas. "Tour 11:
Corryville." The Bicentennial Guide to
Greater Cincinnati: A Portrait of Two Original Church
Hundred Years. Cincinnati, OH:
Cincinnati Historical Society, 1988. Building
206. Print.

27. So, why were St. George Church and
its school the only structures saved?
• 1970s – Only 60 resident families
– However…… Church was thriving
– UC Students, Faculty, and Staff
– UC Newman Center combined with St. George
Church

28. Image retrieved from: http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2005/todays-news/st_george.html

29. Image retrieved from: http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2010/08/old-st-george-hotel-
proposal-needs-65k.html
Image retrieved from: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=15191.0

30. Corryville Catholic School
• 1977 – Number of catholic school children in
uptown area was low
• St. George, St. Monica, Holy Name, Assumption,
Sacred Heart, St. Andrews Church Schools
combined to form Corryville Catholic School
• St. George building used because of location,
condition, and space

31. Corryville Catholic School
Image retrieved from: http://www.corryvillecatholic.org/work.html

32. Back to St. George Church
• 1989 – Archdiocese of Cincinnati experiencing
PRIEST SHORTAGE
• Decided to merge St. George and St. Monica
parishes
• Heavy opposition, both parishes lost many
members
• Final mass in St. George on July 27th, 1993
• St. Monica/St. George and UC Newman Center
are now located in St. Monica Church building on
McMillan Street

33. Image retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St_Monica_St_George.JPG

34. “Old St. George”
• 1993 – Christian Ministries Center
– Coffee shop and community center
– “Old St. George”

36. Image retrieved from: http://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/stgeorge/historicimages.html

37. Old St. George
• 1993 – Christian Ministries Center
– Coffee shop and community center
– “Old St. George”
• 2004 – CMC bankrupt
• 2004 – UC purchased building
– Walgreens offered to buy and demolish the building
– UC said NO
• 2005 – UC sells building to the Clifton Heights
Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation
(CHCURC) for $1.6 million

38. Old St. George
Image retrieved from: http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/0322uptownsrenaissance.aspx

39. The Fire
• February 1st 2008-One of the two spires
catches fire
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MwTmt
mlnDE – Channel 5 Story
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRnMELS-
YyE – Raw Footage
• Fire caused by an exposed light bulb igniting
nearby combustible materials

40. Image retrieved from: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20080203/NEWS01/802030331/Old-St-George-can-saved

41. Image retrieved from: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20080203/NEWS01/802030331/Old-St-George-can-saved

42. Image retrieved from: http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/sacred_spaces/old_st_george.html

43. Image retrieved from: http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-23418-old_st_george_continues_to_decay.html

44. The Future
• Yes, it was insured, and yes, CHCURC has the
money and has not spent it on anything else
• Full Restoration to original state
• Designation National Historic Landmark (in
the same league as Music Hall, Union
Terminal, Carew Tower, Spring Grove, etc.)
• Boutique Hotel, restaurant/brewery

45. Matt Bourgeois-
“We are still pursuing the adaptive reuse of the
church site as you described it from the News
Record article. We are much further along from
when that article was written but still a ways
away from being able to say it’s definitely
happening.”
We’re not in the safe zone yet…. We need your
help!!

46. Works Cited
• Bourgeois, Matt. "Old St. George Church." Message to the author. E-mail.
• Giglierano, Geoffrey J., Deborah A. Overmyer, and Frederic L. Propas. "Tour 11: Corryville." The
Bicentennial Guide to Greater Cincinnati: A Portrait of Two Hundred Years. Cincinnati, OH:
Cincinnati Historical Society, 1988. 206. Print.
• Illustrated Business Directory and Picturesque Cincinnati. 1896. Print.
• Lemaster, Kevin. "Panel to Discuss Future of Old St. George." Building Cincinnati. 27 May 2008.
Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2008/05/panel-to-discuss-future-of-old-
st.html>.
• "Old St. George: St. George Catholic Church - Cincinnati, OH." National Trust for Historic
Preservation. 15 June 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/case-studies/historic-houses-of-worship/old-st-
george.html>.
• Smiddy, Betty Ann. "The Legacy of Samuel Hannaford." Selfcraft.net. 2006. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.selfcraft.net/Hannaford/>.
• Stephens, Sarah. "Old St. George Church." CityBeat. 20 Feb. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-3899-old-st-george-church.html>.
• Tansey, Eira. "Old St. George: 1868-2008." UC Libraries | University of Cincinnati. 2008. Web. 10
Nov. 2011. <http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/stgeorge/index.html>.
• Bowie, MD: Heritage, 1994. Print.
• Williams, Caroline. "The Spires of Saint George." Cincinnati - Steeples, Streets, and Steps.
Burlington, KY: Penandhoe, 1963. 52-53. Print.