{"nrhp_refnum":"89000563","name":"Notre Dame Catholic Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main St. at Marcy St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Southbridge","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.07798587700006,"lon":-72.03648574899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-06-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Notre Dame Catholic Church is a marble-sheathed Catholic church at Main and Marcy Streets in Southbridge, Massachusetts, designed by Joseph Venne of Montreal and built in 1912, though dedicated in 1916. It sits on a rise overlooking the central business district.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant for its link to the growth of Southbridge's French Canadian community and for its unusual French Renaissance design. It is described as a monument to the town's Franco-American population. It is cited as meeting criteria A and C at the local level.","narrative":"Notre Dame Catholic Church crowns a rise at Main and Marcy Streets in Southbridge, Massachusetts, overlooking the central business district. Designed by Joseph Venne of Montreal and built by contractor H. U. Bail, it is faced in rock-faced white marble from Lee, trimmed with blue and yellow terracotta tiles marked \"ND\" and roofed in red terracotta. Bronze doors depict the Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary, and the interior holds murals, sculpture and stained glass by artists from Rome, Boston and Ohio. The church was the second home of a French Canadian parish formed in 1869. Two pastors, Msgr. George Elzear Brochu and Msgr. Louis-Onesime Triganne, raised funds from working-class parishioners to build a monument to their cultural heritage. Construction cost over $250,000, and the church was dedicated debt-free in 1916 and consecrated in 1950. A rectory followed in 1927. It is recognized for its French Renaissance design and its place in the town's Franco-American history.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Joseph Venne of Montreal (architect); H. U. Bail of Southbridge (contractor)","architectural_style":"French Renaissance influences","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition described as excellent; in use as a Catholic church, with significant interior renovations after Vatican II.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.802157-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/75/7934/63793475/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000563.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000563/19e746f664-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000563/19e746f664-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Notre_Dame_Southbridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Notre_Dame_Southbridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63793475","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_Catholic_Church_(Southbridge,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3580676"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/notre-dame-catholic-church-89000563/"}