Some parishioners say renovation of one of Atlanta’s oldest Catholic churches will erase its ‘historical reverence’

Some parishioners say an approximately $4 million “redecoration” project at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus seeks to modernize the historic church and erase the history of the generations of community members who helped build and decorate it.

But the Archdiocese of Atlanta , the governing body of Catholic churches throughout the northern portion of state, is backing the renovation and redesign of the Downtown landmark church known for its red brick and twin towers. The project is expected to give the church the look it had when it opened in the late 1800s but with new furnishings and an updated lighting and audio visual system, according to officials.

Crews began tearing up the church’s carpet and floors on July 15 to prepare the sanctuary for a new Carrara marble floor. They removed the liturgical furniture including the altar, tabernacle stand and ambo. Fabricated replacements will be installed over the next few months.

The life-sized crucifix displayed above the altar now hangs in the church’s reception area. The apse mural seen above the altar and crucifix will be painted over with a new mural.

Gary Wolf, 75, has attended the church for roughly 40 years. He said he learned of the “drastic” changes last year when he walked into mass over Memorial Day weekend and saw renderings set up in the rectory. The lack of transparency, he said, led him to quit attending.

“It is a bit of a debacle. It’s very sad situation,” Wolf said. “They’re tearing the whole altar apart, removing our crucifix, which is a major artifact, a huge crucifix that is a focal point of our church. They are totally making it look like some kind of art deco facility or something, and it will completely destroy the historical reverence of the church.”

Other parishioners who have attended the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for decades are also hurt and angry by what is happening. They say the project, dubbed “For Such a Time as This,” is dismantling not only the building’s history , but also the history of so many families who watched their children married at that altar and then their grandchildren baptized.

Several people remembered how they sat and comforted each other in the wooden pews during funerals of friends and loved ones. They found solace in the church they loved for its simple design but also filled with bright stained glass windows and aged artifacts.

“Sacred Heart was like going home,” said Alison McGowan, 61, a volunteer at the church and whose family were members for decades. “It was so inviting. When you walked in; you felt like you were at home with your family.”

A change.org petition urging the Archdiocese of Atlanta to stop the renovation has garnered more than 800 signatures since May. Other parishioners troubled by what they say has been a lack of transparency about the plans created another website, “Sacred Heart Dialogue: Save Our Sanctuary ,” where people voice their opposition to the changes.

“‘[The project] removes most of the historic furnishings and artifacts in our church. A new, modern, sleek interior will replace our historic interior,” says the website.

“Many want our Basilica to continue to look and feel like an early 20th century Roman Catholic Church, a historic church. … At this point our congregation is deeply divided. Only consensus will erase the division. Only through dialogue will we reach consensus,” says the website.

The full scope of this project will provide the Basilica with a “renewed and inspiring decorative scheme that recaptures and respects the original architectural intent while maintaining the prayerful and inviting warmth of our sacred space,” according to the church.

A “For Such a Time as This” capital campaign has raised $800,000 so far with another $1.6 million pledged. The money has all come from parishioners, said Maureen Smith, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

The amount of money raised and input Father John Howren has received is a solid indication that the majority of parishioners support the redecoration project, Smith said.

“I am sorry if [some parishioners] felt left out, but the parish made every effort to include all parishioners, including a year-long invitation to come to the design studio and give input,” she said. “These sessions in the design studio did result in changes to the plan based on parishioner concerns. And I believe the parish tried very hard to include all parishioners.”

Sacred Heart was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The application to be named to the registry noted the artistic Romanesque architecture of the building. It also detailed the interior of the church, including the apse mural from 1939 that many parishioners are seeking to save.

There are no restrictions, including demolition, of places listed on the National Register unless the property is involved in a project that receives federal assistance.

In 1990, the church received a l andmark designation from the city of Atlanta , which prohibits demolition in most cases. In 2010, the church was designated a minor basilica by the Vatican.

Smith said the church hired consultants Conrad Schmitt Studio Inc., known for its hand-painted interior finishes, and Rambusch Lighting Co. Both companies are well-versed in historical preservation and have assured Sacred Heart none of their work will erase any history, she said.

The designations also only deal with the exterior of the building, so none of the work being done inside the church would violate any historical designation criteria, she said.

“A church is a living community, and a church building is a place where this living community comes in meets, and so sometimes you have to make changes that reflect the fact that people are are meeting there every week,” Smith said.

She also said she didn’t think a National Historic Registration designation “seeks to impede the faith community by dictating how the interior space should look from one era to the to another.”

“It’s also a civic designation, so I don’t think a civic designation would interfere with how a religious organization would operate,” she said.

David Y. Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, said Smith and the Archdiocese of Atlanta are wrong about what it means to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1976 application for the church includes numerous details about the interior of the church. Changing the interior, such as painting over the apse mural with a new one, could cause the church to be knocked off the National Register, he said.

If that happens, the church would not be eligible for federal assistance while planning continues to ramp up to build The Stitch , an urban greenspace, over the Downtown Connector where Sacred Heart is located, Mitchell said.

Mitchell also wants the church to commit to reuse or relocate any of the replaced furnishings to ensure historic preservation, especially the pews.

“At the very base level, these pews are a continuity between the things around the parishioners. The things around them may change, but where they sit is always the same,” he said. “That is an example of what gives a person the kind of connection they’ve always had at the church.

“What we’re talking about is ripping stuff out, removing all the pews and putting in marble floors. I mean, it’s just extreme,” Mitchell said. “This is why we need to prioritize historic preservation now more than ever.”

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