Story
St. Louis parish traces its origins to 1902, when it formed to serve the mostly French-Canadian neighborhood in New Auburn, a neighborhood south of downtown Auburn across the Little Androscoggin River. Parishioners first gathered in the church’s basement before they could raise enough money to carry out their full building campaign. They set to work on the tall, two-spired upper church, designed in the Gothic Revival-style by architect Timothy G. O’Connell. The parish laid the cornerstone of St. Louis in May 1915. O’Connell designed numerous Catholic and Episcopal churches across New England, including at least fifteen in Maine like St. Mary’s Church in Lewiston’s Little Canada neighborhood. Among his most notable and larger-than-life commissions was the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston. They have since been parceled off, but the St. Louis parish also built a convent in 1929 and a school in 1952, the former’s design taking queues from the gothic design of the church.
Threat
In August 2013, the parish held its final mass and the doors have been closed ever since, following years of discussion over whether to repair the historic building. Among the major issues were large cracks along the masonry of the tower, failing concrete elements, and the shifting parapet wall that towers over the main entrance into the church. The estimated cost for repairs reportedly exceeded $1 million. Maine’s Catholic diocese subsequently sold the church building in 2014 to a group of five investors based in Lewiston and Auburn. The group envisioned that the sacred space could become an arts and culture venue, but the multi-year effort ended in failure. Following foreclosure proceedings, the City of Auburn took possession of the property in hopes of redeveloping the historic church and transforming it into an asset for the neighborhood and city.
Jay Brenchick, Auburn’s Director of Economic Development, has led the charge to market this unique property. He has opened the church doors for countless showings and pursued leads with restaurateurs, brewery owners, and small businesses. The 10,000 square feet of space and list of needed repairs and upgrades seems to be the biggest deterrent. Working numbers estimate about $1 million to conduct structural repairs and restore the church’s two facades and another $1 million to finish the interior for general use, including a new HVAC system and ADA improvements.
How to Get Involved
There is no easy solution to preserving St. Louis Church. The City of Auburn’s efforts to date have been comprehensive and have helped eliminate many unknowns for potential buyers, including completion of a structural analysis, phase one environmental review, and hazardous materials report. The City will be improving the roads in the neighborhood and has also assembled an attractive incentives package: $250,000 specifically for improving the building and another $250,000 available through tax increment financing. The landmark church is not on the National Register of Historic Places, but preliminary discussions with the Maine Historic Preservation Commission were promising, opening the opportunity to support the church’s redevelopment with State and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.
The real estate listing for the St. Louis church is online with other properties available for sale from the City of Auburn - https://www.goauburn.me/properties-for-sale
You can also contact Jay A. Brenchick, Auburn’s Director of Economic Development at 207-333-6601 ext. 1218 or jbrenchick@auburnmaine.gov.
