After 90 years, twin towers of downtown Topeka's Assumption Catholic Church will come down
The twin towers of Assumption Catholic Church, located just north of the Kansas Statehouse, have adorned the landscape of downtown Topeka for at least 90 years.
But the tops of those towers will soon come down because of weather-related deterioration.
Work is expected to begin this month on the project at the church at 204 S.W. 8th Ave., according to a report published Sept. 28 in The Leaven, the newspaper of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
The top one-third of both towers will be removed and capped off while the bells located in the east tower will be taken elsewhere and stored, the archdiocese said.
Water damage from freeze-thaw cycles caused deterioration
Assumption was Topeka's first Catholic parish. The first Assumption Church was built in 1862 and the second in 1882.
The current Assumption Church, built in 1923, is part of Mater Dei Catholic Parish, which also includes Holy Name Catholic Church at 1114 S.W. 10th Ave.
The tops of Assumption Church's towers were not part of the original building, having been constructed using slightly lighter-colored bricks between 1928 and 1932, the archdiocese said.
More:Restoration of historic Catholic church in downtown Topeka done ’to give glory to God’
It said water damage resulting from free-thaw cycles during the winters caused the towers to crumble.
Serious deterioration was found in 2016 during an inspection of the towers, and an engineer recommended last year that the top one-third of each be removed, the archdiocese said. The rest of the church is considered to be in good condition, it said.
Fencing has stood for several months at the front of the church building to keep people out.
Assumption Church hasn't held Sunday masses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and stopped holding noon masses on weekdays last March, the archdiocese said. The parish hopes to resume celebrating Mass in March.
More:Can churches participate in politics? How little restrictions could impact Kansas abortion laws
Parish hopes to eventually rebuild the towers
The project is expected to cost $945,000, with the parish having committed $450,000 and the rest coming from the archdiocesan parish revitalization fund, The Leaven reported.
It said the parish initially intended to remove and replace the tops of the towers all at once but couldn't afford to do that.
The parish hopes to hold a capital campaign to raise money to rebuild the towers, which The Leaven said would cost at least $1.3 million.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at 785-213-5934 or threnchir@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Downtown Topeka church tower tops face removal near Kansas Statehouse
