SS Peter and Paul, Old South End

The former rectory was built in the 1860's. At one time, there was a widow's walk on the top.
The building is quite big, as were most rectories, built before the 1960's. Why? Several reasons, really. For one thing, more parishes had more than one priest. They also had to be ready to extend hospitality to priests and nuns who were visiting or passing through the area. It was a lot more common, in those days, for a priest to provide a home for his elderly parents, or a widowed or spinster sister. If the priest took his responsibilities seriously, as many did, there was often a steady stream of the homeless, poor, or troubled who found temporary refuge at a rectory.
These places were rarely quiet retreats. They were busy hubs of activity.