by Tom Castaldi
The Archbishop Noll House at 1415 West Washington Boulevard
has been a landmark home for many in our community at large. In 1994 it was
included on the "Fort Wayne Bicentennial Heritage Trail" as one of
the outstanding homes in the celebrated West Central Neighborhood
(Editor's note: You can find copies of this book in the History Center's gift shop.)
"The Heritage Trail," a Lasting
Legacy developed as part of the 1994 Fort Wayne Bicentennial Celebration, is a
walking trail supported by a map and a guidebook. Intended to serve as
a core guide to historical places in Fort
Wayne, it assembles significant historical sites
important in the understanding of the region's history and patterned somewhat
after Boston's
Freedom Trail.
The Craftsman-style house with the white
stucco exterior, later known as the Archbishop Noll House, was built in 1910 by
Robert Millard, a prominent wholesale grocer who left Fort Wayne in 1920. Designed by architect
Harry W. Wachter, it was purchased by the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne in
1923 to serve as a residence for Bishop Herman Joseph Alerding, who served as
bishop from 1900 to 1925. In his will,
Bishop Alerding left the house to his successor. In 1925, Reverend John Francis Noll, a Fort
Wayne native, was elevated to be the fifth bishop of Fort Wayne, and moved into
the home which eventually took his name.
(Editor’s note: you can find a photo of
the house at http://www.westcentralneighborhood.org/BldgHistories.htm)
This was home for an extraordinarily
accomplished man who directed such efforts as establishing Our Sunday Visitor that became the largest circulated Catholic
newspaper in the world and continues today to be the largest Catholic weekly
newspaper. Under Noll’s guidance, Central
Catholic High
School and St. Vincent’s
Orphans’ Home – present-day campus of Horizon Christian Academy
– were rebuilt and expanded. He also
served significant roles in such national organizations as the National
Catholic Welfare Conference, the Catholic Youth Organization, and the National
Council of Catholic Women, and from here raised the funds that made possible the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC.
Today, visitors to the National Shrine can view a bust of Fort Wayne-native
Bishop Noll placed there in his honor for the contributions he made to the
completion of the project.
In 1935, in appreciation of the bishop’s
tenure, members of the diocese built a wing complete with a chapel in the
residence. The stained glass windows
carried portraits of the bishops who had served the diocese, and since have
been removed to the Cathedral
Museum in the Archbishop Noll Catholic
Center on Calhoun Street. Also found inside are rose marble pillars,
ornately carved plaster ceilings, stained-glass windows imported from Germany and
Italian murals. As the bishop moved into greater prominence, the home was a most
appropriate meeting place for the everyday layman as well as the most
distinguished guest seeking his council and/or assistance.
In 1953, he was named Archbishop by Pope
Pius XII in recognition of his many accomplishments, which was an elevation and
a sign of esteem since Noll’s See was not an archdiocese. Since his death in 1956, the structure has
served as a home for Augustinian monks, and later a center for drug abuse
victims. Eventually, it was sold to a
succession of private owners some of whom allowed it to fall into a state of
disrepair. The Archbishop’s home has
finally been purchased by private individuals; conserved for use as a family
home and returned to a state of grandeur.
Originally published in Fort Wayne Monthly “Along the Heritage Trail with Tom Castaldi” – May
2010 No 66
Other sites you may enjoy about Archbishop Noll:
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