Important Dates

Parish Founded: January 1867
Church Dedicated: May 1869
Church Restored: August 1894
Church Redecorated: May 2009
 

Location

In Cincinnati, Saint Rose Church is not unique simply because it is a century old or carries an inscription in German over the door and is topped by a tall spire. It has become a favorite landmark because its location makes it so familiar to so many. From the winding curves of Columbia Parkway, the spire is conspicuous for many miles as it rises against the city skyline. It is known to everyone who drives that busy artery. From the rear, toward the Ohio River, it is equally obvious to the men and women who travel up and down the river on boats. It is said that it is customary for them to check their watches with the tower every time they pass this point. 
 

Early History

The area of the East End of Cincinnati, where St. Rose is located, was originally called Fulton, Ohio.  Directly across the street from the church are the remnants of the old Fulton station. When William Howard Taft was President of the United States (1909-1913), the train would often stop, and President Taft would address the people of Fulton and visit the children at St. Rose School on his way into Cincinnati. The area was called Fulton because the hulls of the river steamboats were constructed all along the riverbank. [Note: the street alongside the church is named Lumber Street by reason of the above.] St. Rose is on Riverside Drive, standing on a narrow plateau with the hills in front and the Ohio River at the back door. Fulton was a place of boat building, very famous for the number and size of the steamboats turned out on its docks.

The first great boom day was over in 1867 when the church was being built. The parish was founded in 1867, and the church was dedicated in 1869. The original members of the congregation were all connected with the industry in one way or another. So the old Ohio has always been a part of the church’s very existence and remains its constant companion, with tugs churning by on a summer day and the motor boats humming, through bleak days of winter when icy winds blow off the water, and then in Spring, the season of floods and the cleanup time that follows.

Altars

The church features three large altars. The center, or Main, altar is of a different architectural style than that of the two side altars. The reason for this difference is that on January 31, 1894, servers lighting candles for a wedding set the main altar on fire! Naturally, by doing so, considerable damage was done. [The couple went to St. Philomena Church on Third Street to be married; then they came back and watched the fire!] The church was restored in July 1894.

The two stained glass windows at the front of church, to the left and right of the respective side altars, are originals.

Pulpit

Located on the right side of the church, in front of the side altar, the solid-walnut pulpit features the figures of the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and is hand carved of beechnut wood.

The altars were also made from beechnut wood. They were repainted after the 1937 flood. [Water of the Ohio River reached to the middle of the statues—80 feet.]

From Gas to Electricity

Originally, the church was lighted by gaslights. [The original gas plugs can be seen on either side of the “Stations,” in the rear of the church.] When electricity was brought into the church, gas was discontinued and a myriad of electric lights were installed—147 bulbs, to be exact.

Pieta

The Pieta, found in the rear of the church, is solid wood and is also hand carved. [It took six men to move it to its present location!]

Revolving Tabernacle

When the outer door of the tabernacle, which is located in the center of the main altar, is opened, the second door revolves and brings the ciborium to the front of the tabernacle.

Symbol of St. Rose

The design in the center of the dome above the Main Altar [two crossed anchors surrounded by a crown of thorns, a thimble, a pin cushion, and two needles—one with thread] is the symbol of St. Rose, who, as a Tertiary Dominican, made her living by sewing.

Organ

The original organ was installed in 1894. The original façade (or display) pipes were hand painted and still remain.

Tower Clocks

The faces of the clock measure seven feet in diameter. The faces and numbers of the clock are made of white acrylic—the numbers measure one foot and are a half-inch in relief. The hands are made of rust-proof aluminum. The hour hand measures two feet in length and the minute hand measures three feet in length. The fourth face of the clock, facing south toward the river, originally was paid for by the river boat people and the citizens of Bellevue, Kentucky.

Flood Gauge

Floods are a very real part of the history of St. Rose. The first flood came before the building was really finished. In its over one hundred years of history, over sixty floods of various heights have threated and sometimes entered the church. The height and the year of the floods are displayed by a tall flood gauge, painted on the rear of the building.