Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Marietta to raze historic rectory
A Marietta church plans to tear down its rectory, parts of which date to the mid19th century, in the coming weeks.
Monsignor John Walsh of Saint Joseph Catholic Church said the rectory, which has mold, lead paint and asbestos, is not a safe place to house him and the church’s two other priests.
An exact demolition date hasn’t been set.
“We don’t know exactly when … I would say it’s going to be in a week or two,” Walsh said.
Cobb Landmarks, a local preservationist society, had previously called for the rectory, or at least part of it, to be saved.
“Cobb Landmarks was distressed to learn that there are currently plans in place to demolish the house and construct a new rectory,” the group wrote in a message last year. Trevor Beemon, executive director of Cobb Landmarks, couldn’t be reached for comment by press time.
Known as the Sugar Hill House, the oldest part of the home was built for John Campbell in 1852, according to Cobb Landmarks.
The oldest, central part is made of stone, covered in stucco, with two-foot thick walls, per Beemon.
During the Civil War’s Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, the home was supposedly used as a field hospital, Beemon previously told the MDJ. Campbell renovated and expanded the home a few years after the Civil War. First sold in 1938, the new owners added the two wings adjoining the original structure before the home was again sold to the church in 1952.
“It’s not a true, authentic house of the period,” Walsh said, citing the additions which have been built over time.
Marietta Public Works
Director Mark Rice said the church has received a demolition permit. The house was not listed on any local, state or national registry of historic buildings, Rice said.
Over the years the threestory, 7,300-square-foot building was used as a convent, a parish meeting space and finally a rectory.
On Christmas Day in 2022, the home suffered water damage after pipes froze and burst. Walsh and the other priests have lived off the church campus in rented housing ever since.
An investigation by the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta determined the water damage impacted components “on all levels of the structure.”
When the flooding from burst pipes occurred, Walsh assumed the house would eventually be repaired and reoccupied. But it was the discovery of asbestos, he said, that was a “game changer.”
“The rectory has an extensive amount of asbestos and lead paint which could lead to serious health issues,” Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer wrote in a letter to Walsh last year.
The building also needs new plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning, the archbishop said. Its
two-foot thick walls would also make internal reconfiguration impractical, he noted.
“I’ve lived in it, and I can tell people that some of the priests that were with me in it, they’d come down in the morning, and they’d say, ‘I do not feel well, there’s something in this house,’” Walsh said.
The Archdiocese estimated the costs of abatement would exceed $100,000, and that a full renovation of the rectory would cost $2 million.
Instead, the church decided to tear the house down and build a new rectory. Walsh said the new rectory, expected to cost $1.2 million, will house three priests, plus a retired priest on the church property.
“We don’t want anything luxurious or anything like that,” he said, “but we need a place that’s safe.”
The church is in the midst of a capital campaign with the goal of raising $5.5 million to build the new rectory, add 60 parking spots and build a new soccer field on land it owns down the street.
So far, the church has raised $4 million from the campaign. Walsh said the fundraising is a testament to the congregation’s support for the plans.