St. Patrick's Church Complex
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
St. Patrick's Church Complex occupies the corner of Schuyler Street and North Lowell Avenue in Syracuse's Tipperary Hill neighborhood, an early enclave of Irish immigrants. The parish built six resources between 1871 and 1959: a red brick Gothic Revival church with uneven towers and a stained glass rose window, a rectory, a yellow brick school and convent from 1909-1910, a 1930s school addition, and a Marian shrine in a contemplative garden. The church survived a 1966 fire that damaged the interior and was restored within two years. The complex is significant as the center of Syracuse's Irish Roman Catholic community. St. Patrick's was the first city parish created for this group and later gave rise to St. Cecilia, St. Brigit and St. Charles parishes. It offered religious education, schooling, charitable aid, and social organizations, and its priest Rev. James P. Magee served over fifty years and influenced Geddes's 1886 annexation to the city.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the parish was the center of Syracuse's Irish Roman Catholic community and the first Syracuse parish created for that group. It later spawned three other parishes. The complex met the spiritual, educational and social needs of parishioners and grew to include a school, convent, rectory and devotional shrine.
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 12000480, listed August 7, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 216 N. Lowell Ave., Syracuse |
|---|---|
| County | Onondaga County |
| Listed | August 7, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000480 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1871-1960 |
| Architect / builder | Charles C Nichols (church), James A Randall (school & convent) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals (Gothic Revival church) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Parish established in 1871 and still active; the church, school and rectory remain in religious use. |
| Acreage | 2.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.05254, -76.18291 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 12000480.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q23092095
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.