About Sacred Heart Cathedral in Dodge City, Kansas:
Sacred Heart Cathedral (also known as the former cathedral or old cathedral) served as the cathedral for the Diocese of Dodge City from 1951 until 2001. It’s a well-preserved piece of Dodge City’s Catholic and architectural history, reflecting the growth of the community from its early mission days in the 1880s.
Sacred Heart Cathedral was built in 1916, replacing an earlier 1882 wooden Gothic Revival frame church on the same site. Sacred Heart Cathedral was designed by architect Ralph Adams Cram (of the firm Cram & Ferguson), a prominent church architect. It was built in Spanish Colonial Revival / Mission Revival, a relatively rare example of this style in Kansas, with stucco walls, arched windows, a Renaissance-style bell tower with a silver dome, and Spanish Baroque details on the main facade.
It is laid out in Basilica plan (no apse), roughly 110 by 50 feet. The interior has an open trestle-work ceiling, quarry tile flooring, murals by Topeka artist George Melville Stone (including a crucifixion scene with Southwest desert motifs), stained glass by Emil Frei Studios (installed 1948), and a simpler post-Vatican II altar. It forms part of a unified complex with later school and rectory buildings in compatible styles.
It is no longer the active cathedral. In 2001, Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Guadalupe parishes merged into the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The old Sacred Heart building is now primarily used in connection with Sacred Heart Cathedral Catholic School (a PreK-8 private Catholic school). The school (and associated chapel) continues to operate there, with the historic church as a significant part of the campus.
Traveling to Sacred Heart Cathedral in Dodge City, Kansas:
The site is on “Gospel Hill” in Dodge City. Gospel Hill was an area that overlooked Dodge City, which at one time had become known for its saloons and gunfights. Gospel Hill was the location of most houses of worship and hence the name.
The historic building may be accessible for school events, tours, or special occasions.
Address:
903 Central Ave.
Dodge City, Kansas
Visit the official website of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Dodge City, Kansas.