St. Mary Roman Catholic Church was the result of years of campaigning by south-side German Catholics who longed for a church of their own. The site was purchased in 1863, the cornerstone was laid in 1866, and the church was dedicated on November 30, 1868. Built in the imposing Gothic design with seating for 700 people, St. Mary Church is 62 feet wide, 140 feet long, and 75 feet high. Many of the church’s key features were added after the original construction, including the bells in 1870, pipe organ in 1875, ceiling paintings in the 1890s, and the spire in 1893. Note the entablature that reads: “St. Marien Kirche” on the front of the building. Prior to the completion of the church, a temporary structure, now known as the Specht Center, was built. Sitting immediately east and to the rear of the current church, the Specht Center’s first floor served as a one-room church and schoolhouse, while the second floor housed the rectory. The church is the 3rd oldest Catholic parish in Franklin County and has been extensively renovated - most recently after lightning struck and severely damaged the bell tower. Today, the Specht Center houses parish offices and the church and school archive. Note that the sign on the east side of the Specht Center, facing Mohawk St, reads “1887, St Mary’s School.” If you walk around to the other side of the building, facing the back of the Church, you will see the same sign in German. This sign was erected in 1865, just over two decades prior to the one in English-a clear indicator of the German residents’ assimilation in the interim. The old Saint Mary’s High School located behind the church at 673 Mohawk Street has been renovated and converted to a private residence. The building was constructed in 1887 as an elementary school, then expanded and became a high school, before ceasing operations as a school in 1967. Since 1972 it housed a bank and other commercial uses until its recent sale and renovation.