thePULSEVincent Pacifico
It was this time in September of 2018 that the supporters, preservationists and perishoners lost their battle to the wrecking ball while trying to save the iconic Notre Dame Des Canadiens Church located in downtown Worcester. This is a church that was built in 1929 by French Canadian immigrants who came to Worcester. The building resembled their perseverance to establish and honor their culture in the city and to make a place that felt like home which enabled them to worship and come together as a community. In the typical European immigrant communities, the church is the center of the culture and the meeting place that brings everyone together. Without the church, it’s harder for that community to keep its identity and spirit alive in the city. Many of the immigrant communities in the city are unfortunately all too familiar with the reality of their church closing, being sold off and demolished.
Located directly across from the Worcester Public Library and just adjacent to the “Turtle Boy” statue is where the building stood. This parcel of land right on the edge of Salem Square is one of the last areas to be redeveloped as part of the downtown revitalization project. If you took a stroll around the city block of the church and looked at what was around it or even viewed an aerial image of downtown, you’d clearly notice that most of this part of downtown was built up far after the church was constructed. The church was the only structure in the area not following the typical “grid” pattern in what is now known as the “Grid District”.
This Romanesque Revival style building towered over its front piazza and featured a large circular glass window on its front facade which was flanked by two tall towers to either side. This structure was composed of beautiful stone work with ornamentation and symbols referencing the Catholic church and the architectural style it was built to resemble. The building’s interior was massive which truly humbled the occupants who entered. The main space in the church had vaulted ceilings which appeared so tall as if to reach up to the heavens. It could be argued that this building had one of the city’s largest and most beautiful interiors.
Like many Catholic churches in the city, it closed in 2008 and was sold in 2010 to the developers running the City Square project. For years, many individuals tried to save the building and find new uses for it but unfortunately none of them were successful. Organizations like Preservation Worcester tried to save the building and even delay its demolition. There have been several possible adaptive reuse schemes that were imagined for the vacant building but none of them feasible. There are many precedents around the country and even in our own state where old churches were transformed into both public and private spaces. Looking at some of the projects where these churches have been repurposed and transformed, these cities they were in had their identities and microcultures preserved for future generations. The idea of transforming an old stone church into something as grand as a beer hall, food hall or even an event space is such a wonderful concept that would have given the public the opportunity to enjoy this magnificent building and enjoy true architectural character.
The future of the now empty lot is proposed to be housing and ground floor retail which seems to fit in kind with the rest of the development plan for the city center. The large bell in the church’s steeple was removed and preserved and the goal is to display it as a tribute to the French Canadian immigrants who started the church. If you got to see the church in person, consider yourself lucky to have seen one of Worcester’s great architectural wonders.
