by Chuck Hoven

PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN

Tuesday, August 6, 2024; Iglesia Pentecostal El Calvario, 2536 W.14^th: Renovation of the steeple nears completion.

(Plain Press September 2024) Iglesia El Calvario in Tremont is celebrating the completion of the restoration of its steeple. The steeple at Iglesia El Calvario, located at 2536 W. 14^th in the Tremont neighborhood, has been undergoing renovations for about a year and is now complete, says congregation member Gee Cirilo who serves as the church’s music direction and youth leader assistant. Cirilo says, Frost Architectural Preservation Company has completed the steeple renovation, and a subcontractor added lights to the steeple as a final touch, finishing in August of this year. Thus, the renovation is complete after being under construction for about a year.

     Speaking of the work done by Frost Architectural Preservation Company, Criilo said, “The steeple was damaged due to age and weather. Some birds got in and ruined it a bit more. So, they had to first fix the structure of it before even restoring the concrete and restoring the points on the steeple.” Crilio said, Cleveland Restoration Society organized the project and was involved with working with Frost Architectural Preservation Company on the restoration of the steeple. The cost of the project was $80,000. Crilio says funds for the project were provided by Cleveland Restoration Society.

     The Cleveland Restoration Society’s website says, “The legacy of Cleveland’s ecclesiastical architecture is the focus of our Sacred Landmarks Support Initiative, an interdenominational initiative that assists congregations in Northeast Oho with the preservation of their historic properties.” The website says the Sacred Landmarks Support Initiative was made possible with the support of the Ohio History Connection. The Cleveland Restoration Society also receives support from a few foundations, individual donations, and the National Park Service of the United States Department of Interior.

     “This is a big job for our church, and we are glad it is coming to a conclusion,” said Cirilo.

     The church’s pastor, Pastor Pedro Juan Gonzalez, has been at the church for the past 26 years. “So, this church has been alive and part of the Tremont community since then,” says Cirilo.

     The corner of W. 14^th and Starkweather where Iglesia El Calvario now serves its congregation, has served as a worship site for different congregations since 1865. According to an article by Chris Roy titled Calvary Pentecostal Church in Cleveland Historical published online at www.clevelandhistorical.org/items/shows/734, German immigrants built a wood structure on the site in 1865 to house Emmanuel Evangelical United Bretheren Church. (Editor’s note: According to Architectural Historian Craig Bobby, this congregation of German immigrants was an Emmanuel Evangelical Church congregation not Emmanuel Evangelical United Bretheren Church Congregation.) This congregation held services in that structure until the current yellow brick structure was built in 1908.

     Roy describes the current structure as follows: “Gothic in nature. The new church’s architectural highlights include large, pointed windows with hood moldings and corbel stops (decorative supports) on the font and sides. The entry porches and short steeple are more English in origin.”

     The article in Cleveland Historical by Chris Roy says this congregation (Emmanuel Evangelical according to Craig Bobby) remained at that site until selling the church in 1968 to the Cleveland Baptist Temple. It then describes the sale by Cleveland Baptist Temple to the current owners: “This congregation remained there until 1994 when Calvary Pentecostal Church – known by its predominantly Puerto Rican members as Iglesia Pentecostal El Calvario (“Iglesia” is Spanish for “Church”) – purchased the property. That congregation had been located at 4502 Bridge Avenue (now West Side Alliance Church) in Ohio City since 1978.