St. Joseph's Church Complex
Encyclopedia
St. Joseph's Church Complex is an historic site at 1303 Mendon Road in Cumberland, Rhode Island
which includes a Gothic Revival style Roman Catholic church along with two late nineteenth-century, clapboard
-sheathed, wood-frame structures on the east side of Mendon Road.
The handsome, asymmetrical, twin-spired Gothic Revival St. Joseph’s Church was designed around 1888-1890 by architect
F.E. Page. The building has a tall, end-gable-roof, rectangular mass with a polygonal, hip-roof apse
at the northeast end. One-story, shed-roof side aisles continue around the apse
as an ambulatory
to connect to a projecting, rectangular chapel
. The three-story, shorter corner tower has paired lancet windows, battlemented
string courses, louver
-filled Gothic arches, and is topped by a broach spire
. The four-story tower has large, traceried
Gothic windows, drip molds, and is surmounted by an octagonal belfry
and spire.
St. Joseph’s Rectory (c. 1872) is two to three stories in height with a modified cruciform
plan. It is a well-preserved example of bracketed style domestic architecture, with a wrap-around veranda and applied ornament of carved brackets
and jigsaw
work. The interior has been modified.
The relatively plain parish hall (c. 1872) has been removed and a modern structure has been built at the rear of the property.
and Woonsocket. It served an extensive parish centered on the Irish
, and later French Canadian
and Italian
, mill labourers of nearby Ashton
and Berkeley
, as an important religious and social center. By 1888, the parish’s growth necessitated construction of a new church, which replaced the original, although the rectory and parish hall were retained. According to the State Survey put out by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission in 1998, the present church is one of the finest wooden Late Victorian religious edifices in Rhode Island
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982 and underwent an extensive and sensitive restoration in 1995.
Cumberland, Rhode Island
Cumberland is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, incorporated in 1746. The population was 33,506 at the 2010 census.-History:...
which includes a Gothic Revival style Roman Catholic church along with two late nineteenth-century, clapboard
Clapboard
Clapboard may refer to:*Clapboard , a building material*Clapperboard, a film production tool...
-sheathed, wood-frame structures on the east side of Mendon Road.
The handsome, asymmetrical, twin-spired Gothic Revival St. Joseph’s Church was designed around 1888-1890 by architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
F.E. Page. The building has a tall, end-gable-roof, rectangular mass with a polygonal, hip-roof apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
at the northeast end. One-story, shed-roof side aisles continue around the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
as an ambulatory
Ambulatory
The ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar....
to connect to a projecting, rectangular chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
. The three-story, shorter corner tower has paired lancet windows, battlemented
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
string courses, louver
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
-filled Gothic arches, and is topped by a broach spire
Broach spire
A broach spire is a type of spire, a tall pyramidal or conical structure usually on the top of a tower or a turret. A broach spire starts on a square base and is carried up to a tapering octagonal spire by means of triangular faces....
. The four-story tower has large, traceried
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
Gothic windows, drip molds, and is surmounted by an octagonal belfry
Belfry
The term belfry has a variety of uses:*Bell tower, an architectural term*Belfry, a type of medieval siege tower*Belfry, Montana, a town in the United States*The Belfry, an English golf club...
and spire.
St. Joseph’s Rectory (c. 1872) is two to three stories in height with a modified cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
plan. It is a well-preserved example of bracketed style domestic architecture, with a wrap-around veranda and applied ornament of carved brackets
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
and jigsaw
Jigsaw
Jigsaw may refer to:* Jigsaw , a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves* Jigsaw puzzle, a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of interlocking pieces- Film and television :* Jigsaw , a 1949 film noir...
work. The interior has been modified.
The relatively plain parish hall (c. 1872) has been removed and a modern structure has been built at the rear of the property.
History
St. Joseph’s Parish, established in 1872 in an earlier church constructed on the present site, was, at that time, the only Roman Catholic church between Valley FallsValley Falls
Valley Falls may refer to a place in the United States:* Valley Falls, Kansas* Valley Falls, New York* Valley Falls, Rhode Island* Valley Falls, South Carolina...
and Woonsocket. It served an extensive parish centered on the Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, and later French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
and Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
, mill labourers of nearby Ashton
Ashton Historic District
The Ashton Historic District is a historic district in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The district consists of a mill and an adjacent mill village that was built for the workers of the mill. It lies between Mendon Road, Scott Road, Angell Road, Store Hill Road, Front Street and Middle Street...
and Berkeley
Berkeley Mill Village
Berkeley Mill Village is a historic district in Cumberland, Rhode Island bounded by Martin Street and Mendon Road.The Village was constructed as mill employee housing in 1872 in a Romanesque style. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972....
, as an important religious and social center. By 1888, the parish’s growth necessitated construction of a new church, which replaced the original, although the rectory and parish hall were retained. According to the State Survey put out by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission in 1998, the present church is one of the finest wooden Late Victorian religious edifices in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1982 and underwent an extensive and sensitive restoration in 1995.