In the year 1852 or 1853 William Phelan of Lancaster, Ohio, willed to the Diocese four acres of land--the present site of the Sacred Heart Church property. Columbus was then part of the Diocese of Cincinnati, and under the spiritual jurisdiction of Bishop Purcell--later Archbishop Purcell when Cincinnati became an Archdiocese. The track of land left by Mr. Phelan to the Church forms a square bounded by Summit Street, First Avenue, Hamlet Street and Second Avenue. The land was given with the stipulation that it was to be used for religious and educational purposes and none other. It came into the city corporation with the Mt. Pleasant Addition and in 1875 was in the midst of a rapidly growing Catholic population who were seeking homes north of the Union Station.

FATHER EIS APPOINTED PASTOR

On the 3rd of March 1868, Pope Pius IX created the new See of Columbus and Bishop Sylvester Rosecrans became the first Bishop. Early in the year 1875 Bishop Rosecrans determined to make use of the land left to the Church and commissioned the Reverend John B. Eis, who had been assisting at Holy Cross Church from 1872 to 1875, to start the new parish and erect a building suitable to its needs. After consulting with some businessmen of the city and with the approval of the Bishop, Father Eis decided to build a school with a large hall to be used as a church and with rooms to accommodate the Sisters who were to teach. The contract for this building was made with John Harding on the 2nd of August 1875. On September 5 Bishop Rosecrans laid the cornerstone in the presence of a large gathering of people. The Catholic societies of the city were present and the Bishop delivered the sermon. The structure was completed in the spring of 1876 and on Easter Sunday, April 16. Mass was celebrated in it for the first time. The Very Reverend John B. Hemsteger, Vicar General, performed the dedication ceremonies in the absence of the Right reverend Bishop from the city.

SACRED HEART SCHOOL

With the dedication of the new church occurred also the opening of the Sacred Heart School. On the 19th of April 1876, eighty-three pupils were enrolled and these were divided into three rooms. Before the end of the next three months this number had increased to two hundred and fifty. When school opened the following September there were three hundred and five pupils in charge of five Sisters. From the beginning the school has been under the direction of the Sisters of St. Francis whose Mother House is at Stella Niagara near Buffalo, NY. The enrollment continued to grow steadily until it reached six hundred pupils in attendance.

BUILDING ADDITIONS

The rapid and continued growth of the congregation demanded a corresponding increase in the accommodations. Several additions were made to the building from time to time. In 1877 the pastoral residence was added to the south end of the building, and in 1886 a convent for the Sisters was built on the north end. As it stands today this building is about 175 feet long and 80 feet wide. The cost of the structure was in the neighborhood of $80,000.

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