A scheduled redesign of St. Paul’s University Catholic Church, across from Memorial Library, could add to the construction Library Mall and the 700 and 800 blocks of State Street are slated to undergo in the coming years.
Individual, private donors have already donated nearly $8 million to fund the project, which is about one-third of the church’s $24 million total fundraising goal, according to the Rev. Eric Nielsen.
St. Paul’s staff secured all the necessary city approvals to demolish and rebuild the cathedral, located at 723 State Street, in March 2011, and are only waiting to collect the remaining funds before moving forward with the project. Nielsen said, considering the current momentum of church organizers’ fundraising efforts, St. Paul’s is likely still about two years away from demolition.
Church administrators decided a few years back to redesign the church in addition to updating the dilapidating structure, according to Nielsen.
“The current facilities right now are old and falling apart, and no longer meet our programming needs,” Nielsen said. “And the church especially just doesn’t appeal anymore to college students.”
St. Paul’s, which serves as the Newman Center for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, dually functions as a gathering space for several independent student groups, including Habitat for Humanity.
Nielsen said St. Paul’s will operate out of temporary facilities during construction, where masses and daily functions of the church will be conducted. University groups will be offered space in the interim location, which has yet to be determined, for the duration of construction if the space allows.
The city approvals St. Paul’s previously obtained that authorize demolition and rebuilding of the church expire in February 2017. However, Nielsen said he is confident the church will be able to raise the necessary funds before the city deadline.
“I think things are going well,” Nielsen said. “We’re still excited about it so hopefully, if the economy doesn’t go bad on us, we’ll be able to get the money soon and hopefully break ground.”
