St. Mary’s Italian Church
Endangered (listed 2003)
Summary
St. Mary’s Italian Church, built in 1925, was at the heart of Salem’s Italian American community for most of the 20th century. The church was placed on the Most Endangered List in 2003, when the Archdiocese of Boston closed it. In 2009 a threat arose when the owners proposed housing in the church that would have required the removal of the interior features. Community efforts curtailed that attempt. However in Spring of 2012 the church was sold and the new owners removed or demolished all interior historic fabric. The building is in need of maintenance and there is concern about the adjacent historic landscape. It is currently considered Endangered.
History and Significance
St. Mary’s Italian Church on Margin Street in Salem was completed in 1925, and is said to be modeled after the Church of Santa Chiara in Assisi, Italy. Until early 2012 its elaborate interior boasts significant architectural features including stained glass and ecclesiastical fixtures, as well as paintings completed in 1950 by Professor Mose Franceschi of Florence, Italy. In addition to its architectural significance, St. Mary’s also has historical significance as it has served as the religious and social center of Salem’s Italian community for nearly a century.
Description and History of Threat
Closed by the Archdiocese of Boston in January of 2003, the Church was nominated to the Most Endangered list that year. The Salem Mission purchased it in 2004. With encouragement from Historic Salem, the Salem Mission and the Archdiocese agreed to allow the beautiful stained glass windows to remain after the sale.
While the Salem Mission has completed renovations of most of the buildings of the complex, there has been no official use of the sanctuary since 2006.
In 2008, the Director of the Salem Mission suggested that a sale of the Church was an imminent possibility. For this reason we downgraded the status of St. Mary’s Italian Church to “Potentially Endangered.”
In 2009 the Salem Mission proposed that St. Mary’s Church be converted to transitional housing for the homeless. Because this proposal would result in the certain destruction of the integrity of the church interior, it has received stiff neighborhood and community opposition. Also, for this reason Historic Salem, Inc. has changed the status of this property to “Endangered”.
Community opposition to the conversion project was intense. The Salem Historical Commission as well as the Mayor and City Councilors have expressed strong objections to the proposed conversion. In early 2010, the Salem Mission – now known as Lifebridge – did not receive the $2.9 million it had applied for by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.
In February 2010 St. Mary’s Italian Church was listed for sale,
St. Mary’s Italian Church was sold by Lifebridge in March 2012 to The Gateways of Peace to the Nations Apostolic Ministries for $375,000. The Salem based church intends to use the building for worship services and other educational programing; these activities will continue the building’s original function and will hopefully lead to the preservation of the structure which is in need of restoration and stabilization.
Unfortunately, efforts by former parishioners, the Greater Endicott Neighborhood Association and the Salem Community Arts Center failed to save the interior decorations and artworks in situ. In keeping with their beliefs, the new owner is actively removing all religious iconography from the interior of the building. Statuary and wall murals painted in the 1950s by Francheski have been donated to a Catholic Church in Lawrence; others have been painted-over. All of the stained-glass windows have been removed and given to the Archdiocese of Boston for future use, although the condition of some of the windows may prevent preservation. The imported Italian marble altars were destroyed.
As of May 2012 a rock grotto with a statue of the Virgin Mary located on the side yard is still owned by Lifebridge, but they wish to have it removed to establish a vegetable garden. They are working with the neighborhood association to find a new location.
The church is placed on HSI’s potentially endangered list due to the condition of the exterior of the building, including cracks in the cast concrete decorations on the portico over the main entrance, degraded wood trim, particularly on one side addition, and concern for the future disposition of the windows once the stained glass panels are removed.
How You Can Help
• Contact info@historicsalem.org for information on becoming an HSI volunteer.
• The Greater Endicott Street Neighborhood Association is a resource for other information regarding this area of Salem.
Last Updated: May 15, 2012