St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Wilmington, Delaware)

St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a historic Black Catholic church located at 1012 French Street in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.^[1]

St. Joseph's Catholic Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
St. Joseph's Catholic Church, June 2010
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Location	1012 French St., Wilmington, Delaware
Coordinates	39.745162°N 75.545374°W / 39.745162; -75.545374
Area	less than one acre
Built	1947
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.	03001385[1]
Added to NRHP	January 14, 2004

History

St. Joseph's was founded by the Josephites, who established community services for the Wilmington African-American community dating from the late-1880s.

It later changed hands, ending up with the Franciscans, who relinquished administration in Fall 2020 to the Diocese of Wilmington.^[2]

Building

The current complex was built to replace the previous church and rectory destroyed by a fire in 1945.^[3] It was built in 1947, and is a 1+1⁄2-story, three-bay, brick and cast stone church building with a gable roof. It is in the late Gothic Revival style.

The rectory is a two-story, three-bay brick and cast stone building constructed in 1954. It is connected to the church by a one-story hyphen.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "Father John McVoy named administrator at St. Joseph's Parish in Wilmington". The Dialog. September 8, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
3. Debra Campaqnari Martin (August 2003). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: St. Joseph's Catholic Church". and Accompanying six photos