For 100 years St. Augustin's bell tower has stood against the elements. Now it needs help.

Over the 100 years since the bell tower at St. Augustin Catholic Church in Newport was built, it has been buffeted by hurricanes and blizzards causing significant cracking, damaged and deteriorating brick, some compromised mortar and damaging salt buildup, according to a pamphlet on the project.

To save one of the city's iconic structures, the Knights of Columbus in Middletown are hosting a fundraiser to restore the bell tower at St. Augustin’s Catholic Church, which is nearing its $1 million funding goal.

“Here we are, seven months into a capital campaign, and we’re at $986,000, and that is through the generosity of our parishioners and the people of this community,” said Jack Grant, the vice chair of the fundraising campaign and a member of St. Augustin’s Finance Council. “It’s a vote of confidence, if you will, in St. Augustin’s church as a member of the Fifth Ward community and the greater Newport community.”

St. Augustin Catholic Church, on the corner of Carroll Avenue and Harrison Avenue, has been a fixture in the Fifth Ward neighborhood ever since the building’s cornerstone was laid in 1911. The bell tower which looms behind the parish not only serves as a symbol for the church and an icon for the neighborhood, but it also hosts two cellular towers, feeding cell service to the community.

Grant said the church was quoted $1 million for the combined bell tower restoration and repair for the school building’s roof.

This capital campaign began in July 2023 and since then, Grant said the church has been able to secure about $985,000 for the project, largely from parishioners and neighbors.

The group is also continuing to host fundraising events to get the remaining $15,000 it needs, the next of which is a Dinner and Comedy Show hosted by the Knights of Columbus Council #256 in Middletown on Saturday, Jan. 20.

Once the project is funded, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence will review and bid out the work needed to be done on the bell tower and school building. They are hoping to start working on contract documents at the end of this year and begin construction in Spring 2025.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: St. Augustin church bell tower in need of repair, fundraiser planned