2175 Coventry, Cleveland Heights; built 1945-1952, dedicated 1952. Neoclassical, with some Romanesque elements.

Exterior: Most of the church is faced with Indiana limestone (Salem Limestone). Most of this stone is smooth faced and is set in courses. The front courses are of even width; those on the sides alternate from thin to thick. The six large columns at the main entranceway, as well as steps at the front and sides of the church, are also Indiana limestone. Some sandstone flagstone (probably Berea Sandstone) still remains at the base of the front stairs.

Interior: Narthex flooring is pink Tennessee marble (limestone from the Holston Formation) with strips of Red Levanto; walls are a beige limestone. Cross sections of large (up to 2 cm wide) brachiopods are preserved in this beige stone. The brachiopods have dark-colored, more or less heart-shaped outlines when seen in cross section in the stone. Other fossils, including foraminiferans, are also present in large numbers. The small room to the north of the narthex is faced with a breccia composed of extremely large angular clasts in a reddish to brownish-grey matrix. The base of the statue of Mary is a similar breccia.

The ten large fluted Ionic columns that divide the nave and aisles are fashioned from light beige limestone. They were acquired in 1925 from the First National Bank, once located at 241 Euclid Avenue, in downtown Cleveland. The columns contain some fossils. There are also pilasters of matching imitation marble (in reality wood). The holy water fonts are fashioned from a white marble with gray veining. These were formerly drinking fountains from the First National Bank. Wainscoting in the aisles is a light beige-colored limestone. The original main altar and the wainscoting of the apse is a gray mottled limestone. Borders in the apse are yellow Siena marble. The sanctuary steps and the altar are fashioned from marble recycled from the old Central National Bank in downtown Cleveland, once located at Euclid Avenue and East 4th Street. White true marble used for the entrance to the side chapel and some other areas is from the old Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City. A beige limestone and Tennessee marble are used inside the side chapel.

Remarks: The efforts of the Rev. John Powers (1876-1966) to build this church are legendary. He obtained material for the church from secular structures that were being demolished and saved them until this large church could be built. Use of columns and other stone from previous structures for church structures is an ancient tradition. Many early and medieval Christian churches used columns recycled from pagan temples and other structures (Norman, 1990, p. 32). Even the great columns of the Cathedral of Monreale in Sicily were recycled.

References: Bellamy, 1990

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