St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church and Rectory
Why it's listed
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church and its rectory occupy a site just under an acre facing Washington Square Park in downtown Rochester. The brick church, begun with a cornerstone laid in 1853 and completed in 1855, was built for a parish founded in 1834 to serve the city's growing Irish Catholic population. Its architect is unknown. The design shows typical Romanesque Revival features: patterned brickwork, round-arched windows, arched corbel tables and asymmetrical square towers. Over time the building gained enlarged transepts (1916-17), a Tiffany-signed rose window, a revised entry, and a new belfry and spire on the north tower designed by James B. Arnold in 1939-40. The three-story brick rectory, built in 1905 on the site of an earlier Italianate rectory, is lightly detailed in Tudor Revival style with gables and cast-stone trim, and received a compatible addition in 1955. Both buildings are valued locally for their architecture, and the church is considered one of downtown Rochester's oldest surviving examples of its style.
Significance in brief: The church is argued to be one of the oldest surviving examples of early Romanesque Revival church design in downtown Rochester, with brick surface articulation, round arches and asymmetrical towers. The 1905 rectory is a contributing example of turn-of-the-century Tudor Revival residential design. Together they are considered locally significant for architecture.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 92000154, listed March 12, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 15 St. Mary's Pl., Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | March 12, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92000154 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1853-1905 |
| Architect / builder | Church architect unknown; later spire designed by architect James B. Arnold (1939-40) |
| Architectural style | Mid-Nineteenth Century/Early Romanesque Revival (church); Tudor Revival (rectory) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Church and rectory remain in religious use; the form reports alterations but a high degree of integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.15335, -77.60606 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 92000154.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7590211
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.