St. Mary's on the Flats

St. Mary's on the Flats was a wooden church located at the corner of Girard and Columbus Streets, measuring approximately 81 feet by 53 feet (25 meters by 16 meters). The building featured four Doric columns across its front.

The church was founded in 1826 by Catholic immigrant laborers and opened in 1840 as Cleveland's first Catholic cathedral. It played a central role in the city's early Catholic history during the period of Irish immigration.

The church served as a gathering place for Irish immigrant workers employed in the docks and along the Ohio and Erie Canal. It became the heart of a working-class community that shaped the identity of this neighborhood.

The site is located in an industrial area that has undergone significant urban changes and redevelopment. It helps to research the exact location beforehand since only the memory and historical record of the original church structure remain today.

Before the church closed, it had spawned multiple parishes on the west side, including St. John Cathedral and St. Malachi's. These descendant congregations reveal how the original community grew and expanded across the western part of the city.

Location: Cleveland

Inception: 1840

GPS coordinates: 41.49002,-81.70030

Latest update: December 13, 2025 17:05