St. Bonaventure

As the number of German Catholic immigrants in Fairmount grew during the 19th century, there became a need for a new place to worship and gather. German immigrants and local Catholics had outgrown their present church, St. Peter. Eventually, this led the Archbishop of Cincinnati to authorize the construction of a new religious building, St. Bonaventure Church at 1798 Queen City Avenue, which was dedicated in 1869.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At its peak in 1950, St. Bonaventure had 4,000 members. The congregation slowly declined over the next 50 years, which ultimately led to its closure in 2003. Consequently, the building was demolished in 2004, but the original steps and the 1926 school addition are still standing. A charter school called Orion Academy now operates in this location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• The steps leading to St. Bonaventure still exist. Can you find them?
• Besides the church and school, other buildings in the St. Bonaventure complex included a rectory and a convent.
• The stained-glass rose window from St. Bonaventure was reinstalled in the Holy Cross Immaculata Church in Mt. Adams.

St. Francis Hospital

 

Like St. Bonaventure, St. Francis Hospital was established to meet the needs of the growing community in Fairmount. St. Francis, located at 1860 Queen City Avenue, was built on 10 acres of hillside that had previously been St. Peter’s Cemetery. The cemetery had been placed in interdict in 1849 because of violations of canon law by its directors. The graves were moved to the St. Joseph Cemetery in Price Hill, and the land was donated by the German Catholic Cemetery Association to the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis in 1886.

 

The construction of St. Francis Hospital took three years, which included the relocation of the graves. The medical facility opened as the St. Francis Hospital for the incurably ill and elderly in 1889, serving those most in need regardless of their ability to pay. St. Francis was also the only hospital west of the Alleghenies that treated cancer during the early 20th century.

 

By the late 1920s, the hospital was admitting more than 40,000 patients a year; however, over 85% were considered charitable cases. By the 1970s, the hospital’s finances had suffered irreparable damage, and it was forced to merge with St. George Hospital in Westwood, which permanently closed in 1981.

 

St. Francis Hospital is now the St. Francis Court Apartments for seniors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• St. Francis Hospital is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
• St. Francis Hospital admitted its first patient on January 2, 1889.
• The hospital was built in stages, with the upper two stories added in the 1890s and the side wings in 1900.
• The hospital established a nursing school in 1955.