Local View: St. Peter’s Italian Church a unique, irreplaceable jewel

After a beautiful structure that can never be replicated is gone, it is gone forever. Many of Duluth’s significant structures that have been lost to us perhaps could have been saved. Not those claimed by fire. But others were simply looked at as having seen their day and having outlived their usefulness to a growing city. What replaced these gems wasn’t always of the same quality and also has been replaced with another generation of construction. Development has taken an enormous toll on our city’s fabulous original building stock. Have we learned valuable lessons from our eagerness to tear down the old to make way for the new? Apparently not. We’ve failed to fight for far too many of these historic structures that deserve to grace our cityscape. I am not suggesting every old structure be saved. But there are those worth fighting for. St. Peter’s Italian Church is one of those architecturally unique, historically relevant, irreplaceable jewels that our city of Duluth cannot afford to lose. I may sound like a broken record with my advocacy for this old church, but its 100 percent authentic Italian immigrant history is the real deal. We all need to recognize what is at stake here. A friendly few who think outside the box cannot, even with the same tenacity our Italian predecessors possessed, accomplish that which our forefathers were able to make a reality. They worked together as a village in days gone by to give us a most important gift out of pure love. We have so much to learn from our past. Today and tomorrow, many wonderful opportunities await those who stand together. It does take a village. Our city of Duluth has so much heritage that deserves to be preserved, and we need to make sure Duluth retains the multicultural integrity that absolutely can be balanced with progressive and good aesthetic design. St. Peter’s Italian Church meets over half of the criteria to be considered for historic-landmark designation. Only one criterion is needed for consideration, and St. Peter’s meets four, even after four and a half years of being closed, without heat, and having a salvage company allowed inside. Still, it stands proud, on hallowed ground. And it needs our help. Please, do not look the other way and allow indifference to take this companion to Enger Tower away from us. Once lost, we are all the losers. Together we can make a difference. Our ancestors were immigrants who were able to begin their lives here with nothing. With faith and determination and the importance of family, they turned solid rock into precious gems. Ironically, those who found this rock repugnant were willing to destroy a historic, ethnic landmark district without any thought to the historical collateral damage of the Italian- American experience. St. Peter’s Italian Church is a testament to the lives of all those who persevered despite being considered unacceptable and misunderstood in their traditions and customs. Please do not let our ancestors’ lives and gifts to our city be in vain. Let us celebrate the Italians as we celebrate the Norwegians and all of Duluth’s diverse heritage. To look the other way and allow this significant edifice to simply disappear, along with the history that was made within its thick stone walls, would be disgraceful. Has our mindset evolved in over a century? I certainly pray we see what is right before us and embrace it with the same enthusiasm that our Enger Tower, built by the very same stonemasons who constructed St. Peter’s, has been given. Robin L. Mainella of Duluth is a historic preservation advocate who has focused on St. Peter’s Italian Church and Duluth’s Little Italy neighborhood.
After a beautiful structure that can never be replicated is gone, it is gone forever. Many of Duluth’s significant structures that have been lost to us perhaps could have been saved. Not those claimed by fire. But others were simply looked at as having seen their day and having outlived their usefulness to a growing city. What replaced these gems wasn’t always of the same quality and also has been replaced with another generation of construction. Development has taken an enormous toll on our city’s fabulous original building stock.Have we learned valuable lessons from our eagerness to tear down the old to make way for the new? Apparently not. We’ve failed to fight for far too many of these historic structures that deserve to grace our cityscape. I am not suggesting every old structure be saved. But there are those worth fighting for.St. Peter’s Italian Church is one of those architecturally unique, historically relevant, irreplaceable jewels that our city of Duluth cannot afford to lose. I may sound like a broken record with my advocacy for this old church, but its 100 percent authentic Italian immigrant history is the real deal. We all need to recognize what is at stake here.A friendly few who think outside the box cannot, even with the same tenacity our Italian predecessors possessed, accomplish that which our forefathers were able to make a reality. They worked together as a village in days gone by to give us a most important gift out of pure love. We have so much to learn from our past. Today and tomorrow, many wonderful opportunities await those who stand together. It does take a village.Our city of Duluth has so much heritage that deserves to be preserved, and we need to make sure Duluth retains the multicultural integrity that absolutely can be balanced with progressive and good aesthetic design.St. Peter’s Italian Church meets over half of the criteria to be considered for historic-landmark designation. Only one criterion is needed for consideration, and St. Peter’s meets four, even after four and a half years of being closed, without heat, and having a salvage company allowed inside. Still, it stands proud, on hallowed ground.And it needs our help. Please, do not look the other way and allow indifference to take this companion to Enger Tower away from us.Once lost, we are all the losers.Together we can make a difference.Our ancestors were immigrants who were able to begin their lives here with nothing. With faith and determination and the importance of family, they turned solid rock into precious gems.Ironically, those who found this rock repugnant were willing to destroy a historic, ethnic landmark district without any thought to the historical collateral damage of the Italian-American experience.St. Peter’s Italian Church is a testament to the lives of all those who persevered despite being considered unacceptable and misunderstood in their traditions and customs.Please do not let our ancestors’ lives and gifts to our city be in vain. Let us celebrate the Italians as we celebrate the Norwegians and all of Duluth’s diverse heritage.To look the other way and allow this significant edifice to simply disappear, along with the history that was made within its thick stone walls, would be disgraceful.Has our mindset evolved in over a century? I certainly pray we see what is right before us and embrace it with the same enthusiasm that our Enger Tower, built by the very same stonemasons who constructed St. Peter’s, has been given.Robin L. Mainella of Duluth is a historic preservation advocate who has focused on St. Peter’s Italian Church and Duluth’s Little Italy neighborhood.