The parish in charge of St. Stephen Catholic Church in Winooski has sought city approval to demolish the closed church, but some plan to formally oppose its removal.
The permit application was filed earlier this month by an attorney on behalf of St. Francis Xavier Parish, another Catholic church in Winooski that oversees St. Stephen. The application asks for a permit to allow for the “demolition and removal” of the Barlow Street church, which closed in 2020.
Joe Handy said earlier this month that his family’s company, Sisters and Brothers Investment Group, was seeking to buy the St. Stephen property with the goal of building housing on the site.
Eric Vorwald, Winooski’s planning and zoning administrator, said in an email this week that the zoning application is now in the required 15-day appeal period, which according to the application is set to expire on Jan. 4. Absent any appeals, the permit would be issued following that date.
But Britta Fenniman Tonn, a Winooski resident who works in historic preservation, said she plans to send a letter to Vorwald that would allow an appeal to the city’s development review board. That letter needs at least 10 signatures, and Fenniman Tonn said she is “very confident” she will be able to gather the signatures needed to become an interested party in the case.
“It’s very clear that we are in a housing crisis, and I’m not anti-development,” Fenniman Tonn said. “I just want to encourage the city and developers to be thoughtful in how they’re going to create new buildings and look at the impact that there might be on significant historic resources.”
St. Stephen was closed in 2020 following the departure of its priest. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington then announced that it would merge St. Stephen with St. Francis Xavier.
In a letter included with the demolition application, Rev. Yvon Royer, pastor of St. Francis Xavier, said the parish council voted to “raze the church building as the best way to honor its sacred character and to avoid future litigation about uses that might be acceptable to others, but considered unbecoming, immoral, or even offensive to Catholics.”
In his letter, Royer said that, “when the property is sold, much of the proceeds will fund repair of St. Francis Xavier Church,” which he noted was built in 1870 and “needs significant capital repairs.”
Opposition to St. Stephen’s demolition may also come from outside Winooski. Some people around the state have voiced concerns, citing the architecture of the church.
“It’s a great example of marble construction,” said Ann Cousins, who is on the board of directors at the Vermont Marble Museum.
Cousins said St. Stephen is one of three churches in Vermont made by the architecture team Maginnis and Walsh. The others are St. Dominic’s in Proctor and Christ the King in Rutland. All three are built from Vermont marble. Cousins said the museum has been concerned about the fate of the Winooski church and has advocated for the “respectful reuse” of it.
Maginnis and Walsh was a Boston-based architectural firm in the early 20th century, according to Fenniman Tonn. She said some of its architectural trademarks are on display at St. Stephen.
“When you look at it — its pointed arches, its belfry — it’s a simple, elegant design that is iconic in Winooski,” she said.
Royer’s reasons for demolishing the church echo comments made recently by Monsignor Peter Routhier to the Burlington Development Review Board, as he argued that the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in downtown Burlington should be demolished. The church in charge of that property is also seeking demolition of a closed church rather than allowing a change of use.
“When we have to close them, the way that we do the best healing is by removing the building, the structure, so that the memories are memories of a building that was used with great joy and thanksgiving for all the events that needed to take place,” Routhier told the board during a meeting on Tuesday. Burlington’s Development Review Board did not make a decision and plans to discuss the cathedral demolition request again on Jan. 11.
