Immaculate Conception Church and Rectory, Former Catholic church and rectory in Gate District, St. Louis, United States.
Immaculate Conception Church is a stone building in St. Louis designed in the Gothic Revival style, featuring three large rose windows and soaring vaulted ceilings. A bell tower rises from the structure, and the interior is defined by pointed arches and tall windows that fill the space with light.
St. Kevin's Parish, founded in 1876 for Irish immigrants and named for the patron saint of Dublin, built this church at Lafayette and Longfellow from 1904; Barnett, Haynes & Barnett designed it in Gothic Revival style. Bishop John J. Glennon blessed it on May 10, 1908, renaming it Immaculate Conception, and it was consecrated on December 19, 1908. The parish closed in 2005 and merged into St. Margaret Church.
The building now hosts the Compton Heights Concert Band, a local musical ensemble that performs regularly in the space. What was once a Catholic parish has become a venue where community members gather to experience classical music.
The building is located at the intersection of Lafayette and Longfellow in the Gate District, making it easy to find with the bell tower serving as a landmark. Access to the interior is primarily available during performances hosted by the music ensemble, so visitors should check the calendar in advance.
The future Pope Leo XIV, then Robert Prevost, lived at the rectory as an Augustinian novice from 1977 to 1978 and played basketball with pupils of the Compton Heights Catholic School formed in the former parish school. The church and rectory joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
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