St. Mary's Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa)
|
St. Mary's Church and Rectory
|
|
 |
|
 
|
|
| Location | 220 E. Jefferson St. Iowa City, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°39′46″N 91°31′54″W / 41.66278°N 91.53167°WCoordinates: 41°39′46″N 91°31′54″W / 41.66278°N 91.53167°W |
| Built | 1867 |
| Architect | Unknown |
| Part of | Jefferson Street Historic District (#04001097) |
| NRHP Reference # | 80001454 |
| Added to NRHP | February 8, 1980 |
St. Mary's Catholic Church, also known as St. Mary of the Visitation Church, is a parish church of the Diocese of Davenport located at 220 E. Jefferson St. in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The church and rectory were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. They were both included as contributing properties in the Jefferson Street Historic District in 2004. The parish's first rectory, which is now a private home, is also listed on the National Register as St. Mary's Rectory. It is located a few blocks to the east of the present church location at 610 E. Jefferson St.
The first Mass in what is now Iowa City was celebrated by a frontier missionary, the Rev. Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, OP, on December 20, 1840. It was attended by 28 people in a building that doubled as a private home and a hotel owned by Fred Haberstroh. The University of Iowa’s School of Business is currently on that location. The previous day Mazzuchelli had arrived from St. Paul’s Church in Burlington and bought two lots for $2,000 on which the church and rectory stand today.
St Mary's parish was established by Mazzuchelli in 1841, and he designed a small frame building that would serve as a church. The cornerstone for the Greek Revival structure was laid on July 12, 1841 by Bishop Mathias Loras of Dubuque. The building, named St. Mary of the Assumption, was largely completed by 1842. Several priests, including the Rev. J.A.M. Pelamourgues from St. Anthony’s in Davenport celebrated Mass in the new church. In 1844 the parish had grown to about 70 families and the Rev. Anthony Godfert was assigned the parish’s first pastor.
...
Wikipedia