Label
550 Clark St.
Historic Landmark Designation
Sponsor: Gadus
Title
Declaring the intent to designate the building located at 550 Clark Street, Toledo, Ohio a historic landmark; and declaring an emergency.
Summary
SUMMARY & BACKGROUND:
In 1872, Good Shepherd Church was established after 60 families of Irish descent petitioned the Bishop of Cleveland for permission to form a parish on the East Side. Once a permanent location was identified on Clark Street, the first two-story wood-frame church was built. The wooden building was constructed to house both the church and school at the corner of Clark and Nevada Streets under the guidance of Rev. Robert Byrne.
By 1875, Father Byrne resigned for health reasons, and Father Patrick O'Brian became the pastor. Soon after Father O'Brian's arrival, he established the school with the help of the Ursuline Sisters, who served as teachers and would remain under their direction for 116 years. By 1893, the school had 144 pupils under the charge of four teachers.
In 1878, Father O'Brian was sent to another parish, and Father McCarthy became pastor. Under Father McCarthy's leadership, the brick parish house was built in 1882. Over the next nine years, the parish increased to nearly 100 families, and leadership shifted once again. That was the year Father Patrick Barry began his ten-year pastorate.
In 1897, Father O'Brian returned to Good Shepherd to find that it had grown and gained financial strength. The original wood structure was no longer large enough to meet the needs of the parish. On St. Patrick's Day in 1899, ground was broken for a new church on the southern edge of the parish lot. When the cornerstone was laid, a copper box was placed inside containing the names and photographs of Catholic luminaries.
Later that year, a fire damaged the original wood-frame church, so the congregation held its services outside in the rectory's front yard or across the street in the commons. Construction on the new church co...
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