Saint Paul Cathedral (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Saint Paul Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. St. Paul's parish was established in 1833.[3]

Saint Paul Cathedral
Saint Paul Cathedral (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is located in Pennsylvania
Saint Paul Cathedral (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Saint Paul Cathedral (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is located in the United States
Saint Paul Cathedral (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
40°26′50.63″N 79°56′59.42″W
Location108 N. Dithridge St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
CountryUnited States
DenominationCatholic
Websiteghocatholics.org
History
Founded1834
Architecture
Architect(s)Egan and Prindeville
StyleGothic Revival
Completed1906
Construction costUS$1.1 million (1906) or US$32,129,585.35 (2020)
Specifications
Capacity2,600
Height247 feet (75 m)
Number of spiresTwo
MaterialsLimestone
Administration
DiocesePittsburgh
Clergy
Bishop(s)Most Rev. David A. Zubik
RectorVery Rev. Kris D. Stubna, STD
Part ofSchenley Farms Historic District (ID83002213[1])
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 22, 1983
Designated PHLF1975[2]

History

The original St. Paul's was dedicated in 1833. When the diocese was established in 1843 St. Paul's Church was chosen as the cathedral. It burnt down in 1851, but was replaced with a larger building in 1855. The first two St. Paul Cathedrals were located on Grant Street downtown.[4] As the downtown area was claimed by industries, the residential areas shifted to other areas of the city. St. Paul's property was sold to the industrialist Henry Clay Frick.

The present Gothic Revival structure was designed by Egan and Prindeville of Chicago and completed in 1906. They used Cologne Cathedral as their inspiration.[4] Philadelphia contractor Thomas Reilly built the new cathedral in the Oakland neighborhood. A pipe organ was provided by Andrew Carnegie. The cathedral serves the spiritual needs of approximately 3,000 worshipers.[5] It became a contributing property in the Schenley Farms Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1]

Andrew Carnegie provided the cathedral's first pipe organ, originally a circa 1895 W. W. Kimball, which served into the 1950s. Under organist and choirmaster Paul Koch's leadership, the cathedral contracted with Aeolian-Skinner to build a new large four-manual organ. This contract fell through upon the death of Aeolian-Skinner's president G. Donald Harrison, and after a tour of European organ manufacturers Koch selected Beckerath to manufacture the cathedral's new organ. Named "one of the monument organs of the continent", it was completed in 1962, and has undergone several major refurbishment projects since.[6][7]

  • Cathedral interior
    Cathedral interior
  • Pipe organ
    Pipe organ
  • Altar and reredos
    Altar and reredos
  • Cathedra
    Cathedra
  • Ambo
    Ambo

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  3. "Saint Paul's Roman Catholic Cathedral", Historic Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh
  4. Lu Donnelly; H. David Brumble IV; Franklin Toker (2010). Buildings of Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. pp. 65–66. ISBN 9780813928234.
  5. "Building History". Saint Paul Cathedral. Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  6. "Cathedral Organ & Specifications". Greenfield/Hazelwood/ Oakland. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  7. "St. Paul's Pittsburgh to have Large Organ" (PDF). The Diapason. 47 (2): 1. January 1, 1956.

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