Planning for the church The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart was proposed in 1859 by
James Roosevelt Bayley, the
Bishop of Newark, just six years after his appointment by
Pope Pius IX. In 1870, Bishop Bailey sent architect
Jeremiah O'Rourke and Monsignor George Hobart Doane to Europe to view various cathedrals. Proposed sites included a corner at High and Kinney Streets and an alternate at South and Broad Streets. However, the current site, next to
Branch Brook Park in the
Forest Hill section of Newark's North Ward, was chosen. Bayley waited to buy the land until the site was recommended by O'Rourke, the architect of the planned cathedral; and Monsignor Doane. Doane liked the current site because it "commands a view of the
Orange Mountains on the west and the Newark Valley, the hills of
Staten Island, and
New York on the east." the
cornerstone was laid on June 11, 1899. O'Rourke wanted to get the walls and towers built first and selected a
Vermont Rockport granite as the exterior stone. By 1902, the walls then stood 50 feet at the
nave and
ambulatory, with the first four tiers of the front towers under construction. Wigger died on January 5, 1901, and the new bishop,
John Joseph O'Connor, asked O'Rourke to cut costs not to exceed a price tag of US$1 million.
Halt in construction O'Rourke was removed as head architect in 1910 following a series of feuds between O'Rourke and another architect. The new architect, Mr. Waldron noticed a dangerous shift in weight and hired Fred Metcalf to observe this shift. An order went out to remove all 24
pillars, excavate underneath, re-level the ground and reset 22 pillars. The decision to eliminate two pillars allowed the builders to eliminate the
clerestory wall connecting the nave and the
chancel, widening the
transept to . As the
arches and clerestory began to rise in the latter half of 1910, architects provided extra reinforcement in the form of
steel girders at the clerestory level down either side of the nave and around the ambulatory.
Design changes The original English/Irish-gothic style was switched to a French-gothic one with those plans accepted in June 1913 and work starting in August 1913. Changes included: • reducing the height of the towers from to ; • eliminating the
spires to reduce the weight loads on the tower; • eliminating the exterior nave
buttresses and
pinnacles,; • substituting three rose windows instead of a
concentric-circle design; and • increasing use of sculptures at the entrances.
The last stage By 1918, construction moved at a steady pace to allow the completion of the steel-
slated roof in November 1919; by the roofing company Conrad & Baier. The granite
tympanum canopies and
medallions were finished and, by July 1924, the windows were completed. With this, the building was finally insulated for the first time since the construction's start. The carving of the medallions' scriptural scenes and bishops' portraits took place on-site between April 1922 and November 1924 under the direction of
Rochette and Parzini of New York City. In 1925, officials wanted the cathedral completed by December 1926, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of O'Connor's
ordination as a
priest. The
dedication was postponed because of a dispute over the type of
limestone used and the many delays in construction. Limestone installation,
vaulting, the work on the
sanctuary floor and
sacristies continued. With O'Connor's death in May 1927, construction focus shifted to the
crypt where he would be laid to rest. General work re-commenced in August 1927 and ended some months later with the installation of an
Italian Botticino-
marble altar purchased from
Benziger Brothers of New York City. The stained-glass windows were crafted by
Franz Mayer of Munich, Germany.
Pre-dedication The new bishop,
Thomas Joseph Walsh, opened the cathedral even though construction was ongoing. Walsh believed it was time for the cathedral to be open even though it was unfinished. The first ordination was his own as Bishop of Newark on May 1, 1928. A
Pontifical Mass followed, celebrated by Father Joseph H. Conroy, with a crowd of nearly 4,000 people. Upon the elevation of the Diocese of Newark to the rank of
archdiocese by Pope Pius XI, Walsh was appointed its first archbishop on December 10, 1937. He celebrated his
Silver Jubilee on July 29, 1943, and the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a priest on May 1, 1950. During the pre-dedication service, Walsh ordained six bishops in the cathedral.
Opening and 20th century events (before 1995 elevation to basilica) Dedication After nearly 95 years of planning and building,
Thomas Aloysius Boland, Archbishop of Newark, finally dedicated the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on October 19, 1954. During the ceremony, Boland received the
pallium from then-Archbishop
Amleto Giovanni Cicognani,
Apostolic Nuncio (delegate) to the United States.
Post-dedication The Father Monsignor Joseph A. Doyle, who spent his entire priestly life in the cathedral parish, was appointed first
rector. In addition to the six bishops he ordained during the pre-dedication, Boland ordained many priests in this cathedral and showed people's contributions in this church. Thousands came to celebrate his
Golden Jubilee in 1972. In 1974, Pope Paul VI named as Boland's successor
Peter Leo Gerety from
Portland,
Maine. ==Gallery==