Good Shepherd, East Toledo

We've had a request for interior photos of the now-closed Good Shepherd church in East Toledo.  Below are some links that have interior photos. 

Previous blog posts that include interior photos

A Toledo Blade gallery of photos from 2015

https://epiphanyofthelord.org/envira/good-shepherd-parish/

https://www.facebook.com/p/Good-Shepherd-Church-Toledo-100068865444568/

A YouTube slideshow of the church

Instagram photos after closure

Toledo Lucas County Public Library Digital Collections

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

 Taken at the Amtrak station is Good Shepherd in East Toledo. 

For some reason this makes it look like the church is on top of a large hill. Either way, it's still a good shot.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

Oh, dear. It's hard to know where to begin with this one. There's far too much for one post, that's for sure. Let's start with the exterior. Good Shepherd is one of the old Irish parishes and the building was started in 1899 and consecrated in 1901. It, along with St. Patrick's, is one of the city's most noticable churches. The views from the High Level Bridge and from Downtown make it impossible for it not to be noticed. The first time I went down Summit Street I spotted that dome. Guess what, it's even better at close range. Though a bit grimy from air pollution, the walls are made of an almost honey-colored stone, mixed with white. A thorough cleaning and it would bowl you over. Even with the darkening, it's impressive. The stone blends well with the patina on the metal. Look at those towers. Of all the towers in Toledo, I think they're my favorites. Those soaring open arches are hard not to love. The wider, squared lower parts, with their corner finials, really set them off. Now, look at the entrance. It's an arcade with Romanesque, almost Celtic carving on the capitals. Over it is a nice gallery. Hard to believe it survived. They're often pulled down "for ease of maintenance". ( Read: "general laziness" ) Up in the gable is a niche containing a bronze statue of the Good Shepherd. Its base extends as a semicircle out from the wall and is covered with a riot of carving. On it, the Celtic sort of carving is particularly noticable ( Click HERE for a picture ) Remember, there was a lot of Romanesque carving at the time, but the Celtic influence was rather rare. Overall, the design of this building is quite good, though the transepts don't quite live up to the rest. They're a bit bland.
Tomorrow, I'll start posting on the interior. That's where we really can cut loose. It may well be the best church interior in Northwest Ohio. And I don't say things like that lightly. It's incredible.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

I found this picture of the interior, credit to the Chronicle. It's not very detailed, but it'll do until I can get better ones. The first thing you'll notice is the altars. Exceptional, and beautifully preserved. On the high altar, a statue of Our Lord, the Good Shepherd is flanked by St. Patrick and St. Boniface. The side altars are just as good. You'll also notice the murals and stencilling in the lunettes and the ceiling of the apse and side chapels. It's incredible work and I can't believe how well preserved it is. An interesting detail is the frieze of sheep that runs across the apse. It appears to be a later addition, but is every bit as good as the original work. To the left, the rectangular item is a very good painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I'm still amazed by the place. Everyone needs to realize that this interior is one of Toledo's greatest treasures.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

Today, I'm going to mention two of the most notable features of the interior. First, the presence of some of the best late Victorian plasterwork ( ? ) decoration I've ever seen. I've added that question mark for good reason. The decoration is just too well preserved to be believed. That makes me wonder if it might not be glazed terra cotta, rather than plaster. Whatever it is, it's everywhere. It's inside the arches. It's on the capitals of the columns. It's along every rib of every vault, even in the aisles. You've seen that wonderful terra cotta work on the ground floor of the Spitzer Building, haven't you? That's the sort of designs we're talking about and they run rampant. I've been looking at old buildings since childhood and I've never seen such work so well done and so well preserved. It's a treasure. The other item I'll deal with today is the painted stencilling on the ceilings. For centuries, there was a custom of painting church ceilings a deep blue with stencilled stars, in gold. This was done in the apse and aisles at Good Shepherd and it's been perfectly preserved. Wonderful work. This sort of thing was particularly vulnerable to the vandalistic tendencies of the late 20th century. No such nonsense here, I'm happy to say.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

The sanctuary is incredible. There are so many churches, in the area, where I struggle to find something good to say. The situation is reversed, at Good Shepherd. Here, it's impossible for me to find a complaint. It's the closest thing to a perfect church design I've ever seen. The designers, even those who made changes, knew exactly when to stop.
An enormous vote of thanks is due to the parishioners who have managed to hold the place together, for years, on what's probably a shoestring budget. They deserve thanks and encouragement.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

 Today marks 10 years that Good Shepherd has closed. I got some photos to see what has happened since then.

I can say that not much has changed (Besides the school).

The sacristy roof in the bottom left corner of the image is starting to collapse. Somehow that seems to be the only damage to the church.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

This is going to take several posts. It's like my parish. Too many good details to cover at one time. By the way, I'm kicking myself for not having a camera when I visited. That'll have to come later. One other little note. It may seem surprising, coming from a die-hard limey, such as myself, but the Irish parishes in Toledo show superior taste across the board. Everyone involved in building them deserves a salute.
Let's talk about the dome, today. That's the most noticable feature, both inside and out. I don't know how tall it is, but I'd make a guess that it rises about the equivalent of seven stories. So high, anyway, that my nearsighted eyes could barely make out the angels painted, against a blue background, in each of its sides. If you look at the picture I posted yesterday, you'll notice a row of windows around it. Wonderful stained glass. Each has a life-sized figure of a saint. Absolutely glorious.
Tomorrow's post? Well, I haven't quite figured out whether the decoration on the ceilings and columns is next in importance or the large number of first-rate stained glass windows. Then there are the Neo-Baroque altars, and the statues, and the mosaic floors, and...it goes on and on. For crying out loud, the frieze of sheep along the apse and the cantilevered choir loft each deserve a post of their own! The whole place is completely overwhelming. This was a product of the time when people , quite rightly, believed nothing was too good for God's House. A lesson our own time needs to learn.

Postcards from the Past

Immaculate Conception parish in Bellevue, previous church.

Aerial view of Rosary Cathedral in Toledo.

Students in front of the old school at Good Shepherd, East Toledo.

Pilgrimage service at Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, 1959.

The photos above are a little sample of postcards available at Barnard's Post Cards ebay store. To search the store, click HERE. (For example, if you search for "Toledo church", you will see some great views.) Thanks to Nadya and Joe in Dublin, Ohio, for letting me use some images.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

Now do you see why I call it one of Toledo's greatest treasures?

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

One of the finest choir lofts in Toledo. It has to be cantilevered in some way. Those brackets couldn't possibly support it. Someone needs to dispose of that bloody banner, though.
Notice the glass panels ( They're all beveled. ) in the doors.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

This is one of my two favorite Toledo churches and deserves special treatment. I'll be discussing it fully, in the morning.

Good Shepherd, Built to Last

Cleveland Quarries, in existence since 1868, provided the "Berea Sandstone" used in construction of East Toledo's Good Shepherd church.  The sandstone is quarried in the Amherst and Birmingham areas near Lorain.  An interesting list of landmarks constructed from this stone can be found HERE. 

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

We can thank Ignatius Horstmann, Bishop of Cleveland, for all this. The original idea was to build a smaller, brick church. The Bishop had other ideas and insisted on building a church worthy of the name. As it turned out, they were given a good deal on the sandstone, so the ones who thought the Bishop was extravagant had less to complain about.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

Next to the stairs to the choir loft is what was apparently the baptistry. The fencing and gates are art deco metalwork and exceptionally good. The Pieta is a nice piece of work, too.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

Pictures from Genoa, Oak Harbour, Port Clinton, and Marblehead whenever I can deal with all the fussing and fiddling.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

A frieze of sheep runs along the apse. It appears to be a much later addition, but it's beautiful.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

The towers and dome rising above the trees, as seen from across the Maumee.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

St. Gabriel, in one of the transepts. St. Michael, on the other side, is my favorite of the statues. Unfortunately, he's hiding behind some sort of extra lighting fixture. The spots, at the right are part of an ongoing problem with leaks and moisture. Let's hope the diocese steps in and helps with that. This building is too great a treasure to risk.

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

The dome contains sixteen windows, each with an apparently life-sized saint. The state of preservation, for the plaster, murals, and stencilling, is downright uncanny.