154 N Main St

From the National Register nomination

The original Gothic/Tudor Revival church occupies the southwest corner of what is now a large complex extending to E. Wolfe St. on the north and N. Federal St. on the east. The church is a one-story gable-fronted building of stretcher-bond brown brick. The steep gable roof is sheathed with slate shingles. The centered three-story front entry/belfry tower has a lancet entry with double-leaf wood doors hung on ornate iron strap hinges. The quarry-faced stone entry surround is surmounted by a blind arcaded band with trefoil arches and, above, a Celtic cross. The tower's second story has a rose window. The third story has paired lancet louvered belfry openings on all four sides. Above the arches is more trefoil blind arcading, battlements, and Celtic cross finials. The corners of the tower are defined by buttresses with stone weatherings. Similar buttresses rise on the sides of the nave with lancet stained glass windows between. A granite "respect life" monument stands next to the front entry steps. A ca. 1975 two-story education wing extends to the rear, with a flat roof, stretcher-bond brown brick veneer walls, and round-arch windows. A ca. 1995 addition extends from the north side of the original building, with a slate hip roof, a stretcher-bond brown brick veneer, an apsoidal projection on the north elevation, and lancet and square-headed windows. At the juncture of the ca. 1975 and 1995 wings is a rear parking lot entry under an eight-sided pyramidal roof. Harrisonburg's Catholic congregation formed in 1871. The May 1907 Sanborn map indicates the present church and labels it "from plans," suggesting construction may not have commenced until 1907. Staunton architect T. J. Collins designed the 1906-07 church, which was built by local contractors William M. Bucher & Son. Two early stained glass windows were crafted by the Gettier Studios of Front Royal, but the majority were created by the Charles J. Connick Studios of Boston and installed in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Architectural historian Martha Caldwell speculates that the Celtic crosses that adorn the building may have been a tribute to Irish-born Hanora Flynn Kelley, one of the leaders of the church in its early years. The church was formerly known as St. Mary's Catholic Church. (Rockingham County: Its Past and Present, Open House, 1, 5; Caldwell, "Journey into the Past," 28)