Last September, we took a look at the boarded up Quinn Chapel Church at 912 West Chestnut Street. The church building is owned by the adjacent YMCA of Greater Louisville which plans to convert the structure into some sort of community center.
There’s no new news about plans for the church, but we now can take a look inside the historic structure thanks to Eric Schumacher who had the opportunity to photograph the building as part of a documentary.
Inside the church, many of the original details remain including an ornately painted sanctuary ceiling. There are a few spots on the ceiling suffering from water damage where the plaster has fallen in, but Eric Schumacher reports that the floor remains sturdy and despite debris and a strong musty smell, the church isn’t in that bad of shape.
It’s also nice to see that the original stained glass windows are still in place under the boards on the exterior. Most appear to be in decent shape without too much damage. Because the windows are boarded up, however, the interior is generally very dark.
According to a rendering of the church from 1884, architect Henry Wolters had planned to clad the structure in stone (rendering can be seen in Sam Thomas’ Architectural History of Louisville). Two tall steeples on the corners of the building are now missing as well.
The new structure was built in front of an older structure built just after the Civil War which is believed to be the photo below. Thanks to Eric Schumacher for sharing these photos of the church. Hopefully the YMCA will soon finalize their plans to convert the building into a real community asset.
