Historic Restoration Projects

Since the cornerstone was laid in 1889, each generation of this parish has repaired, repainted, and restored the church it inherited. Gathered here are the records of that work — the booklets, reports, and appeals that document how St. Patrick’s has been kept standing and made beautiful again.

The 1970s Restoration

By 1972 the parish had dwindled to sixty families, and Archbishop Dwyer set a plain condition: raise the funds for repairs, or the church would be sold. A committee of past and present parishioners voted unanimously to restore. Dinners, bazaars, and appeals rebuilt the roof and cupola, cleaned the murals, and repaired the Povey windows.

The 1973 Restoration Appeal — press photographs and clippings

Photographs from the spring of 1973, as the appeal went public: Fr. Milan Mikulich and the architect George McMath surveying cracked plaster in the sanctuary, broken windows in the choir loft, and the worn front steps — which McMath hoped to return to their original form, if only a photograph of them could be found.

85th Anniversary Commemorative Booklet (1974)

Published as the restoration began, this booklet records the state of the church and the parish’s resolve to save it. It also appears in Parish Histories & Jubilees.

The 2026 Historic Restoration

In our own day the work has been carried through to completion. The church has been restored to its original splendor — the murals cleaned and renewed, the plaster and gilding repaired, the sanctuary brought back to the beauty its builders intended — and will be rededicated by Archbishop Sample on August 30, 2026.

Restore the Beauty