"...Chicago has always bounced back from fires and I think we'll bounce back from this," said Cardinal Francis George.Early this morning a fire broke out in the attic of the the iconic old Chicago landmark, Holy Name Cathedral. The church had been undergoing some major renovations for the last six months and had been closed, finally opening at the end of August. It took Chicago firefighters 2 1/2 hours to battle the blaze, which began at about 5:30 am, but this afternoon it is already being reported that Cleanup Starts After Holy Name Fire.
Holy Name Cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese. Holy Name Church, as it was called in 1871, was burned during the Great Fire. Bishop Thomas Foley was determined to construct a magnificent replacement and Brooklyn architect Patrick Charles Keely was hired to design the Gothic structure.The cornerstone of the present Holy Name Cathedral was laid on July 19, 1874.
Recommended reading:
Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago (Wikipedia)
Keely Society: Patrick Keely
Holy Name Cathedral: 735 North State Street (Chicago Architecture Info)
Holy Name Cathedral (Chicago Tribune)
Photo Credit: Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune
3 comments:
Oh dear what a shame. of course any fire is simply awful. But, when they happen to great old buildings with so much history it truly is heartbreaking.
Even a tough old atheist like me is sorry to hear this news. It seems the damage was not too bad, thankfully...
Shinade and Jonathan,
It is a shame, but they will rebuild. After all, nothing gets Chicago down - particularly a little fire.
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