Historic buildings, Ann Arbor, Michigan / by Marjorie Reade and Susan Wineberg.

Complex of St. Thomas the Apostle CONTINUED

stone was laid in 1897 and
the building dedicated in
1899. A large stained-glass
rose window dominates the
entry above marble pillars
flanking wooden doors with
quatrefoil carving.
Soon after, in 1902, the yellow brick rectory was constructed behind the church
at 530 Elizabeth (actually facing State Street). This Georgian Colonial Revival
building is a long rectangle with a projecting center capped by a highly decorated full pediment. The large center porch has a fieldstone base topped by
slender Ionic columns supporting a graceful balustrade. Two small pedimented
dormers add to the impression of a country estate. The Georgian style contrasts sharply with the Italian style of the church, despite the use of clay roof
tiles on both buildings.
The last building constructed under Father Kelly's tenure was the convent for
the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 517 Elizabeth Street. It resembles the rectory in general form and materials and in fact Doll noted that the
convent "was built of the same substantial brick as was used in the rectory."
More pronounced than on the rectory are the pedimented dormers embellished on the sides with fish-tail shingles and finished off with the same unusual
green clay tile as the main roof. Built by parishioner and contractor Henry G.
Pipp, the total cost of the convent was $8,600. The Sisters moved in by October 1911.
This eclectic complex of buildings remains today as a monument to Father Kelly's tireless
efforts. The second decade of the
20th century saw the razing of
the old school behind the church
and its replacement by several
school buildings for both elementary and high school students.
SR (church), OFW

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