Around New England

Stately Worcester Church To Be Demolished

August 9, 2019

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, a stately 90-year-old Romanesque church with an Italianate tower in Worcester, will be demolished sometime between Friday, August 9 and Wednesday, August 14, the pastor said.

The church, built in 1929, stands next to Route I-290, which church officials say has contributed to its deterioration. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester closed the church in 2016 because it needed millions of dollars’ worth of repairs, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

It appears to be the end of the road for a group that has been trying to raise money to repair and revive the church, called Preserve Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Italian immigrants raised enough money in the late 1920s to build the church with cash, according to a parish history. It was founded as an Italian national parish, meaning it catered to Italian-speaking immigrants even if they technically lived in other parishes.

The 5.3-acre property is valued by the city at $7.65 million. An unidentified buyer is planning to build housing on the site, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

It’s the second large Catholic church to be demolished within the past year in Worcester. In September 2018, Notre Dame des Canadiens, also built in 1929, was torn down.

The diocese has combined the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with Our Lady of Loretto.

Here’s a picture of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, soon to be demolished:

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Worcester, Massachusetts

Here’s a picture of Our Lady of Loretto, the church building that now houses both parishes:

Our Lady of Loretto Church in Worcester, Massachusetts