Steeples

People from all walks of life and ethnicities have always needed something to believe in and a place to worship. The church has always been the focal point of the community whereas it was considered to be sovereign ground and a place of refuge for the weary and downtrodden. The tall spires of the church steeples served as lookouts from invading armies, a signaling point to call to order the community with its bell towers, the architectural designs of the spires, towering skyward, reflected the path to heaven through one’s faith.

My design, titled Steeples, is dedicated to the many religious organizations that are in our city and the history of them here. This piece is in honor of 11 of those churches.

As the European settlers moved into the Ohio valley Gen. Arthur St. Clair would be appointed governor of the northwest territory and Gen. “Mad” Anthony Wayne would be instrumental in fighting back the Native American Indians indigenous to the area. Despite the dire situation of some of those early pioneers, their faith would hold out and they would establish for themselves a congregation of believers. In 1790, the settlement of Losantiville, later to be re-named Cincinnati, was born.

In Cincinnati,

1. Christ Church 

A place of worship, for the predominantly Catholic parishioners, would be constructed at 318 E. Fourth St. Christ Church, is the very first church in the city of Cincinnati. Built in 1817, dedicated 1819.

2. Old St. Mary’s

Located at 13th & Clay St., Old St. Mary’s is the oldest church still standing and in service to this day in the community. Built in 1840, dedicated in 1841 serving at the time to a German Catholic congregation.

3. Allen Temple 

This is the 1st African Methodist Episcopal Church. Organized in 1824, in Cincinnati, it is the oldest African American congregation west of the Allegheny mountains.

4. Union Baptist

Part of Enon Baptist a predominantly white church, 14 members left in 1831 to form their own church of all African American’s making it the first African American church in Cincinnati. It served as a station on the Underground Railroad, has 2 cemeteries in which one is the final resting place of black civil war veterans and one soldier (Pottawan Beaty) is the recipient of the Medal of Honor.

5. Rockdale Temple

Organized in 1824 this Jewish congregation is the oldest in Cincinnati and the oldest west of the Allegheny Mountains.

6. Covenant - First Presbyterian Church

In 1790, First Presbyterian Church was the first west of the Allegheny’s. In 1875 the building at 8th and Elm St. was built for the Second Presbyterian Church but financial hardships in 1933 forced 1st Presbyterian to merge with Covenant Presbyterian and the 2 churches moved into the present location adopting the name Covenant - First Presbyterian Church. This historic building features gothic style architecture and a 1,700 lb. bell cast by Paul Revere.

7. St. Francis de Sales and ‘’BIG JOE’’

When it was cast on October 30, 1895, the bell that hangs in the bell tower of St. Francis de Sales in Walnut Hills at Madison and Woodburn Ave. remains the largest bell ever cast in the United States. It weighed in at 35,000 lbs. took 14 horses to transport it from downtown Cincinnati on 2nd and Broadway up Gilbert Ave. hill and raised to the bell tower some 220 ft. When it was rung for the first time it could be heard some 15 miles away, shattered windows in the neighborhood and caused mortar to fall from the tower. After which the bell was immobilized and rings now with a hammer 3 times a day for the last 100 plus years.

8. Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains

Built in 1841, and dedicated in 1845 this church here in Cincinnati at 8th and Plum St. has the highest steeple among churches in Cincinnati. Its single spire made of pure white limestone was the tallest man-made structure in the city for decades. It rises to an impressive 224 feet above the street.

9. Holly Cross – Immaculata

The church sits on one of the highest points in the city of Cincinnati and boast one of the best views in the city. Built in 1859, it began as the German Immaculate Conception Church that served the Mt. Adams neighborhood. It became a pilgrimage site after Archbishop John Purcell vowed to build it if he survived a violent sea storm. In 1871 the English-speaking Holy Cross Parish was formed nearby for the Irish community, and in 1977 the two merged after the Holy Cross Monastery closed its doors. With its closing the two churches became the Holy Cross – Immaculata. A tradition of praying the steps on ‘’Good Friday’’ where the devoted worshipers pray while climbing the approximate 100 steps to the church door, has been a practice of its parishioners since the building was first constructed in 1859. This practice has been seen as a symbol of hope to millions of its followers.

10.  Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati (ICGC)

Cincinnati’s first Mosque would be tied to the ICGC and a small house on Fairview Ave. in Clifton. Purchased in 1950 it served as a place for communal prayer and as the community grew by 1970 the ICGC officially converted the house into its mosque. The community eventually outgrew the house on Fairview and in 1982 they move to a larger facility on Clifton Ave. that served until a purposed – bulit mosque opened in West Chester in 1995.

11.  Crossroads Church

Crossroads Church is widely considered the largest church congregation in Cincinnati and the fastest growing and largest mega church in America. It reports weekend attendances averaging at 35,000. Founded in Cincinnati by 11 friends in Hyde Park, their vision was to create an authentic community for people who felt alienated by traditional church settings. In January 1995, Brian Tome became the founding, and senior pastor creating a space for honest conversations about God free from the normal religious jargon.