Most neighborhoods that have seen better days need a catalyst to revive themselves. In Toledo’s Junction neighborhood, that could catalyst could be St. Anthony Church.
Spared from a wrecking ball last summer thanks to last-minute intervention by the Lucas County Land Bank, the church’s steeple is an iconic landmark in the neighborhood.
It is a neighborhood in need of a turnaround and it is a neighborhood that looks like it is on the verge of a turnaround.
The church has been empty since 2005, when the Diocese of Toledo closed St. Anthony parish as part of a wave of church closures and consolidations. The building has been deteriorating since then, which led diocese officials to announce in 2017 it would be razed.
The potential loss of such a vital, historic landmark of the city spurred Toledo into action.
The Toledo City Council and Lucas County Board of Commissioners each agreed to contribute $20,000 to save St. Anthony. The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority agreed to contribute $35,000. That money will help pay for stabilizing St. Anthony, though another $25,000 to $50,000 will be necessary for that.
And now representatives from community groups, businesses, faith groups, and social service agencies must make plans for St. Anthony’s future. What will it be? How will its future be funded?
The Junction neighborhood could follow in the footsteps of the Historic South End, where grassroots efforts from energized residents hatched a redevelopment plan in recent years. That community-based plan is already delivering results with better street lights, a health clinic, and new businesses.
Advocates have seized on the notion that St. Anthony’s restoration could spur the surrounding neighborhood’s rebirth as well. The Junction Coalition, which is working on a Junction Neighborhood Master Plan, calls for integrating the St. Anthony project with a neighborhood revitalization plan.
New life for St. Anthony could mean new life for Junction. What a beautiful second act for a church that seemed destined to become a pile of rubble.
First Published February 14, 2019, 11:00 a.m.
