St. Boniface Church granted landmark designation

QUINCY — The Quincy City Council Monday night voted to grant St. Boniface Church, 641 Maine, landmark status.

The 11-3 vote to support the effort included two aldermen who previously voted to deny the application: Mike Rein (R-5th Ward) and Jack Holtschlag (D-7th Ward).

Holtschlag gave his reasons for the change of heart before he cast his vote of support.

“Everybody was kind of scared to call over to the bishop,” Holtschlag said. “And so here we sat. The mayor was asking me … Jeff Mays was asking me … ‘Hey, what’s what’s going on over here? We got stuff going on at Maine Street …’. So I’m going to support this time, and hopefully everybody can be better stewards (of the property).”

Aldermen Jeff Bergman (R-2nd Ward), Dave Bauer (R-2nd Ward) and Richie Reis (D-6th Ward) voted to deny the application.

Local landmark status protects the exterior of a building by specifying architectural features that must remain intact for the building to retain landmark designation — which, in turn, makes it more difficult for the building to be sold, but it still could be sold should the Diocese of Springfield and the supervising parish of the property, Blessed Sacrament Church, decide to do go in that direction.

James A. Bock, chancellor and general counsel of the Diocese of Springfield spoke at Monday’s meeting and asked the aldermen to again deny the application, citing that no viable plan is in place for the property and Blessed Sacrament struggles to pay for the basic maintenance, primarily the building’s utility bills, let alone the funds needed for a renovation.

The building is considered a prime example of mid-20^th-century modern architecture designed by noted Quincy architect John Benya. Holly Cain of See Quincy, the Quincy Convention and visitors bureau, told the council its architectural importance was highlighted when the Illinois Council of the American Institute of Architects selected St. Boniface as one of its 150 Illinois Great Places. The only other structure in Quincy on that list is the Gov. John Wood mansion, 425 S. 12^th.

Although the current structure was built in the early 1960’s, the site itself was where Father Augustus Tolton, the first Black Roman Catholic priest in the United States, held his first Mass on July 18, 1886. Francis Cardinal George initiated the canonization process for Tolton in 2010, announcing the cause for canonization for sainthood. Pope Francis advanced Tolton’s cause for sainthood in 2019, elevating him to “Venerable.”

While the Diocese of Springfield supports an effort to place a shrine for Tolton at the site, it doesn’t see any other viable use at this time, according to Bock, who pointed out to the council that the building was constructed long after Tolton’s death.

Cain said after the meeting she was pleased with the decision and hopes to work with anyone who wants to put effort into a plan for St. Boniface’s future.

The structure needs about $5 million in renovations, including:

• The steeple has significant damage that needs to be addressed to preserve its structural integrity.
• The church needs mold remediation to be safely used.
• The church needs additional repairs, updates and asbestos abatement, and an adjacent property needs to be bought for parking and a visitors center.