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St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church (Columbia, South Carolina)
Encyclopedia
St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church is located at 1529 Assembly St. in Columbia, South Carolina
. This is the second building of the oldest Catholic parish in Columbia and the Midlands
of South Carolina
.
The first resident Catholic priest came to Columbia in 1820. St. Peter's first church, designed by the South Carolina architect Robert Mills
, was completed in 1824. This church was demolished in the early 1900s to build the new sanctuary.
The new church was designed by Frank Pierce Milburn
, a Southern architect
. The planning and fundraising was done largely by Father Thomas J. Hegarty. Construction started in 1906 and was completed in 1908. The dedication was in January 1909.
The Gothic Revival
church was built with dark red brick with Bedford limestone
and dull glazed terra cotta
trim. The roof was Buckingham Slate
. The spire
is topped with a cross and is 163 ft (49.7 m) above grade.
The church has a cruciform
plan with a high nave. It is 131 ft (40 m) long and 79 ft (24.1 m) wide. The nave
is 64 ft (19.5 m) long and 51 ft (15.6 m) tall. The 3,500 lb (1,591 kg), 55 in (1.4 m) diameter bell was cast in 1911 by McShane Bell Foundry
in Baltimore, Maryland.
The church graveyard is to the rear of the church.
The St. Peter's Church is on the National Register of Historic Places
, No. 89001610. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional pictures and information. and copies of the nomination forms.
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. This is the second building of the oldest Catholic parish in Columbia and the Midlands
Midlands, South Carolina
The Midlands roughly refers to an area in the middle of South Carolina. Columbia is the largest city in the region and location of the state government...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
The first resident Catholic priest came to Columbia in 1820. St. Peter's first church, designed by the South Carolina architect Robert Mills
Robert Mills (architect)
Robert Mills , most famously known for designing the Washington Monument, is sometimes called the first native born American to become a professional architect, though Charles Bulfinch perhaps has a clearer claim to this honor...
, was completed in 1824. This church was demolished in the early 1900s to build the new sanctuary.
The new church was designed by Frank Pierce Milburn
Frank Pierce Milburn
Frank Pierce Milburn was a prolific architect of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While Milburn designed commercial buildings and residences, his practice was primarily focused on public buildings, particularly courthouses and legislative buildings...
, a Southern 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...
. The planning and fundraising was done largely by Father Thomas J. Hegarty. Construction started in 1906 and was completed in 1908. The dedication was in January 1909.
The Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
church was built with dark red brick with Bedford limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
and dull glazed terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
trim. The roof was Buckingham Slate
Buckingham Slate
Buckingham Slate refers to a specific type of slate quarried near Arvonia in Virginia. The Buckingham Slate Company is the only active quarry and manufacturer of slate in Virginia...
. The spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
is topped with a cross and is 163 ft (49.7 m) above grade.
The church has a 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 with a high nave. It is 131 ft (40 m) long and 79 ft (24.1 m) wide. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
is 64 ft (19.5 m) long and 51 ft (15.6 m) tall. The 3,500 lb (1,591 kg), 55 in (1.4 m) diameter bell was cast in 1911 by McShane Bell Foundry
McShane Bell Foundry
The McShane Bell Foundry, located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, is a maker of church bells. Since its founding in 1856 by Henry McShane, it has produced over 300,000 bells; at one time, the foundry also produced pipes and plumbing fixtures...
in Baltimore, Maryland.
The church graveyard is to the rear of the church.
The St. Peter's Church is on 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...
, No. 89001610. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional pictures and information. and copies of the nomination forms.