Old St. Rita Colored Mission Church

Old St. Rita Colored Mission Church (HM125J)

Location: New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 Volusia County
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Country: United States of America
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N 29° 1.484', W 80° 55.975'

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Inscription
The old St. Rita's Catholic Church Mission Building is one of the oldest surviving church buildings in the city. It was built in 1899 as the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of New Smyrna Beach, moved to this site in 1956 to serve the colored Catholics in the Westside Community, and was named St. Rita's Colored Mission Church. The building represents an important architectural landmark. The distinctive belfry, wood shingles in the gable end and pointed arch molding on the windows represent important architectural characteristics. After integration in 1969, the Diocese of Orlando converted the church into a neighborhood clinic and day care facility. The former church served that function until 1980, when the city condemned it in 1991. A committee of citizens, organized by Father Rudi Cleare of the Orlando Diocese, supported by Mark Rokowski, city planner and chaired by Mary Harrell, a retired educator and founder of the Black Heritage Festival, received state grants in 1997-98. These grants, coupled with private donations, funded the restorations, completed in 1999. The Orlando Diocese deeded the building and grounds to the Black Heritage Festival in 1999. The building currently serves as the Black Heritage Museum.

A Florida Heritage Site
Details
HM NumberHM125J
Tags
Marker NumberF-632
Year Placed2008
Placed ByThe Black Heritage Festival of New Smyrna, Inc. and the Florida Department of State
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 18th, 2014 at 9:17pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17R E 506532 N 3210727
Decimal Degrees29.02473333, -80.93291667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 29° 1.484', W 80° 55.975'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds29° 1' 29.04" N, 80° 55' 58.50" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)386
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 314 N Duss St, New Smyrna Beach FL 32168, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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