Saint John's Roman Catholic Church
About this property
The Basilica of St. John is a Minor Basilica of the Catholic Church in the Drake neighborhood of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is also a parish church in the Diocese of Des Moines. The church building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Bishop Henry Cosgrove of the Diocese of Davenport established St. John's Parish in 1905. Its territory had been taken from St. Ambrose Parish. On June 7, of that year fourteen lots were purchased on University Avenue for about $8,000 by the Rev. Daniel F. Mulvihil, the parish's first pastor. Two more lots were bought for $1,375 on July 20. These purchases marked the beginning of St. John's parish. The school was the first building built by the parish. A chapel on the second floor served the parish as its church. The first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Day in 1905. Between 1907 and 1918 the school included both primary and secondary programs. The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary taught in the school. The high school program was discontinued when citywide Catholic high schools for boys and girls opened. In 1911 the parish became a part of the newly established Diocese of Des Moines. A brick rectory was built c. 1912 to the west of the school. The parish was incorporated on December 16, 1912. In August 1913 the basement of the present church was completed and the parish used it for its church until the upper church was completed. It was part of the designs for a new church by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson. The rest of that church design was not built. The architects who designed the present church were from Maginnis & Walsh of Boston. They were also responsible for the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The parish priest at St. John's, the Rev. Martin S. McNamara, was also influential in the design especially in having it based on Maginnis & Walsh's design for St. Catherine's Church in Somerville, Massachusetts (c. 1915) as well as the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome (rebuilt 1823). McNamara had previously been responsible for the design and construction of All Saints Church in Stuart, Iowa, another Maginnis & Walsh project. The local architect chosen to supervise the project was John Normile. Charles W. Wietz' Sons was the contractor who built the church building. The cornerstone for the present church was laid on September 19, 1926. The footprint of the present church extends several feet beyond that of the 1913 basement. Initially, the exterior of the church was designed to be brick because Maginnis & Walsh thought limestone was too expensive, but Father McNamara insisted he could raise the necessary funds and he did. The church was built for $480,000. The finished church was dedicated by Bishop Thomas W. Drumm on December 4, 1927. Two other Catholic bishops and over one hundred priests from the Des Moines diocese and elsewhere attended the dedication. The baldachin and high altar, designed by Maginnis & Walsh, were added in 1929. The building was also designed to have a 500-seat chapel built off to the east of the altar area, but it has never been built.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Saint John's Roman Catholic Church
This page lists Saint John's Roman Catholic Church. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Saint John's Roman Catholic Church listed on the National Register?
Saint John's Roman Catholic Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 7, 1987.
What type of historic resource is Saint John's Roman Catholic Church?
Saint John's Roman Catholic Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Saint John's Roman Catholic Church?
The period of significance for Saint John's Roman Catholic Church is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Saint John's Roman Catholic Church?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Saint John's Roman Catholic Church will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Polk County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Polk County.
Explore PolkCounty ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Saint John's Roman Catholic Church will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.