Old Saint George Church

Bordered by Calhoun and Vine streets in the Clifton Heights neighborhood of Cincinnati, Old Saint George was a once vibrant church adjacent to the University of Cincinnati campus.

Built as a Roman Catholic church by the St. George Parish in 1873 for just $80,000, it seated 1,200 and was designed by one of Cincinnati's most famous architects, Samuel Hannaford, who designed Music Hall and the City Hall.(4) The Romanesque Revival building was built upon one of the highest points in the city, and was followed up by a parish school in 1914 and a parsonage and monastery in 1928.(4)

During the 1970s and 1980s, the neighborhood surrounding the church declined, when property values declined and historical structures demolished for suburban-styled fast-food restaurants and gasoline stations.(1) The church, which once held services of 1,200, was barely filling a fourth of the seats.() It later merged the congregation with Saint Monica's, now named Saint Monica/Saint George, and the Old Saint George's location closed its doors in 1993.

The church was purchased from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1994 by Christian Ministries Center, a volunteer team that was led by Larry Bourgeois who turned it into a community and arts center and offices for University of Cincinnati ministry organizations.(5)(6)(7) It also briefly served as a an arts venue and coffee house and was rented out for meetings and social functions, however, rental revenue and fund-raising failed to pay the mortgage and as a result, foreclosure proceedings began in late-2004.(4)

For several years, the future of the church property was quite dim. A collection of neighborhood businesses and buildings across the street, bordered by Vine, McMillan and Calhoun streets, were demolished for a mixed-use project.(3) Nearby, old or vacant properties were torn down for student housing and retail stores.

In December 2005, Walgreens offered to buy the church for $1.6 million with the intent of demolition, which was countered with an identical offer from the Clifton Heights Community Urban Redevevelopment Corporation (CHCURC) with the intent of saving the building, which was accepted.(4)(5) CHCURC began minimal repairs to the roof, followed by the repainting of the entrance foyer and work to the plumbing and electrical systems with the intent of restoring the church completely.(2)(7)

Fire

Around 7 PM on February 1, 2008, a fire began on the western steeple of the Old St. George church, which soon leap to the right steeple due to strong easterly winds.(9) The two-alarm fire quickly escalated to a three-alarm fire. At 7:44 PM, the left steeple collapsed, followed by the right steeple at 7:53 PM. Fire crews were ordered to pull back as large embers and debris was littering the streets.(9) Due to the all-wood and bronze construction of the towers, the steeples were considered a total loss.(8) Damage did not extend beyond the towers, and most of the damage outside of the steeples were from water. CHCURC is currently in the planning stages for restoration of the steeples, and recently settled with the insurance company for damages in February 2009.(10)

The cause of the fire was determined to be a light bulb too close to combustible materials.(10)

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