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		St. Mary Mother of God Roman Catholic Church
		Lillian & Albert Small Jewish Museum
		Holy Rosary Church / Chiesa Santo Rosario
		National Building Museum Frieze

ST. MARY'S 1890

In 1890, a new church building, designed by E. F. Baldwin of Baltimore, was erected. The events at the laying of the cornerstone were reported as follows:

From the Evening Star, 26 July 1890:

CATHOLIC SOCIETIES AT CORNERSTONE LAYING TOMORROW

The ceremonies connected with the laying of the cornerstone of the new church edifice of St. Mary's Catholic Church will take place tomorrow afternoon beginning at 4:15 P.M. Bishop A. A. Curtis of Wilmington, Del., will officiate and will preach the English sermon. The Rev. R. Preiss will preach in German. The procession will move at 3 o'clock from the corner of 16th Street and Massachusetts Avenue Northwest. The route will be down 16th Street to H Street, to Jackson place, to Pennsylvania Avenue, to 5th Street, to Church.

From the Evening Star, 28 July 1890:

With imposing ceremonies and in the presence of a great concourse of people, the cornerstone of the new church edifice of St. Mary's parish was laid yesterday afternoon. The location of the new church building, on 5th Street, between G and H Streets N.W., was the central point about which the people began to gather long before the hour assigned for the ceremony. A covered platform was erected over the foundation in the front portion of the building, and this was occupied by the clergy and laity who had been invited to witness the ceremonies. At 3 o'clock a procession was formed at Scott Circle of the Catholic Societies of the city. Under the direction of the chief marshal, Mr. J. H. Buscher, and to the music of the brass bands, the line of the parade moved over the route in the order which has been printed in the EVENING STAR. The fine appearance of the marching columns, which comprised some twelve or fifteen hundred men, was commented upon by the spectators who assembled along the route to witness the display.

CEREMONIES ON THE SITE

When the procession drew near the church site, the clergy attended by acolytes came out from the adjoining residence of the pastor, Father Glaab, and proceeded to the platform. … The ceremonies were conducted by Bishop A. A. Curtis of Wilmington, Del., and after the foundation walls had been blessed and sprinkled with holy water the stone was blessed and set in place. The trowel used was the one that figured in the ceremony forty-four years ago, when the cornerstone of the old church was laid. It is owned by Urban Geier, a member of the church. The articles placed in the copper box sealed in the cornerstone included copies of several English and German newspapers, foreign and American coins, including United States coins of every denomination, photographs of Father Glaab and the church building committee and a written history in brief of the parish.

From The Catholic Mirror, 4 July 1891

ST. MARY'S GERMAN CHURCH-THE DEDICATION CEREMONIES

… The German Catholics have a right to feel proud of their new Church, for it is among the handsomest of the many beautiful Church edifices of the city. …

In architecture the new church is pure Gothic, built of Potomac bluestone with Ohio sandstone for trimmings. The Gothic style has been closely followed thru-out, and a graceful high tower gives the outside of the building an imposing appearance, while no less attention has been shown in the interior arrangements, which are almost perfect in detail, and number some genuine treasures in foreign art which were imported at great expense. The stained glass windows are from Munich and are the finest with perhaps the exception of those in the Catholic University in the city. Those near the entrance on the south side represent Sts. Aloysius and Michael. Others on the same side contain representations of Sts. Theresa and Elizabeth, St. Boniface performing Baptismal rites, the Assumption and the Resurrection. The sanctuary windows contain representations of the four Evangelists, while on the north side of the church appear delineations of the apparition to Mary, the Annunciation, St. Joseph's worship, and Sts. Peter and Paul. The baptistry is lighted by three smaller windows, decorated with a representation of Christ's baptism, the angel and Tobias, and a Guardian angel and a child. One large and several small windows in the gallery complete the natural lighting facilities of the church.

The stations of the cross are beautiful specimens of bas-relief work and come from Vienna. The altars are of Italian marble of exquisite design. The pews are of polished oak and of elegant design.