Description of Historic Place

St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church is an early twentieth century wood frame building situated on roughly 0.9 hectares of land on the east side of the Macleod Trail in Calgary's historic Midnapore community. The church features a steeply pitched gable roof, central steeple, and pointed arch windows.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church lies in its association with the establishment of early religious institutions in southern Alberta and its representation of early Alberta church architecture.

The arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) at Fort Calgary in 1883 established the fledgling community as a hub for settlement and development in southern Alberta. The trail south from Calgary to Fort Macleod became a significant transportation route and several stopping houses and small communities emerged along the path, including Fish Creek. The Catholic community in Fish Creek was initially ministered to by several travelling members of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (O.M.I.) religious order, including Father Albert Lacombe, the renowned missionary, Father Joseph-Jean-Marie Lestanc, a well-known itinerant priest, and Father Jacques Riou. In 1904, the area's Catholics united to construct St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church on land donated by Patrick Glenn, son of John Glenn, one of Calgary's pioneer farmers. Lacombe is believed to have become the first resident priest at the church in 1909 and served here until his death in 1916. The cluster of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, St. Paul's Anglican Church, and the Lacombe Home site in the area speaks powerfully to the religious significance of this place in Calgary's history.

St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church is a typical, early twentieth century Alberta church. Unlike many other early Catholic churches in the province, however, which were often inspired by Neo-Classical or Romanesque models, this church is defined by its Carpenter Gothic style of architecture which reproduces the traditionally stone elements of Gothic architecture in wood. This style is evident in the steeply pitched roof and the pointed arch windows. Like many early buildings serving Alberta communities, St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church was constructed using local craftsman.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 447)

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church include such features as:

St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church:
- mass, form, and style;
- horizontal, bevelled siding;
- steeply pitched gable roof;
- wooden steeple featuring pyramidal spire crowned by a cross and featuring slightly pointed arch openings;
- projecting vestibule with steeply pitched gable roof;
- fenestration pattern and style, including Gothic windows with double-hung lower sash details and circular window on front elevation.

Site:
- location in historic Midnapore community and spatial relationship to St. Paul's Anglican Church and Lacombe Home site;
- entrance gates and carragana hedge on front (west) elevation.