The buildings belonged to the first Roman Catholic parish in Duluth, founded by Rev. John Chebul in 1870. The parish originally occupied a small wooden building, but it burned down in 1892. A new building was started in 1894 and completed in 1896. A 1,493-pipe
pipe organ (Opus 664) was installed in 1898, built by
Felgemaker Organ Company, of
Erie, Pennsylvania. The organ has been listed by the
Organ Historical Society for its "exceptional historic merit, worthy of preservation." In 1985 the Diocese of Duluth announced that the congregation would be merging with the congregation of nearby St. Mary, Star of the Sea, and that the building would be closed. Joan M. (White) Connolly, who had started playing the Sacred Heart organ in 1930 when she was a sophomore in high school, wanted to preserve the building and keep the organ in its original space. She recruited volunteers, and bought the church from the diocese for $1. File:Former Sacred Heart Cathedral - Duluth 04.jpg|Former cathedral from the north File:Former Sacred Heart School - Duluth 01.jpg|Sacred Heart School from the north File:Former Christian Brothers Home - Duluth, Minnesota.jpg|The Christian Brothers Home from the east ==See also==