Saint Thomas Preservation Hall

Saint Thomas Preservation Hall, built originally as a Catholic church, is a Gothic revival style church located in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina.

Saint Thomas Preservation Hall, in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina.

St Thomas The Apostle Church

Constructed in 1846.[1] by Robert B. Wood, St Thomas the Apostle served a small but growing parish of Catholics in New Hanover County. The church's construction and parish was over looked by Father Thomas Murphy. The church later became the pro-Cathedral of North Carolina when Fr. James Gibbons was consecrated as the Vicar-Apostolic.[2] In 1908, the parish bought land at South Fifth Street and Ann, where the Basilica Shrine of St Mary would later be completed in 1912, which allowed the growing parish more space.

Rev. Christopher Dennen, an Irish priest, convinced the parish to keep the church as a place of congregation for the black Catholics in the area.[3] With a donation from Mother Drexel of $12,000, this was made possible.

St Thomas the Apostle Church Plaque

Modern day

After a fire in 1966, the St Mary's parish and St Thomas parish decided to desegregate, leaving the St Thomas Church unneeded. The Catholic Church formally deconsecrated the church in 1979, and in 1982 the Saint Thomas Historical Trust became the official owner of the title. Now it operates as a wedding and arts venue under the name Saint Thomas Preservation Hall, and underwent a large renovation in 2004[4]

Notable People

References
  1. "What is the history of St. Thomas church?". 12 March 2010.
  2. "Basilica Shrine of Saint Mary – Parish".
  3. The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Catholic editing Company. 1914. p. 268 – via Internet Archive. Rev. Christopher Dennen,.
  4. "About - Saint Thomas Preservation Hall".
  5. "Father Thomas Frederick Price inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame - Diocese of Raleigh". www.dioceseofraleigh.org.
  6. "History Engine: Tools for Collaborative Education and Research - Episodes". historyengine.richmond.edu.

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