Cottage Grove Museum

Cottage Grove Museum. The Only Public Building of its Kind in the Pacific Northwest. This octagonal building, constructed by Cottage Grove’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1895, is the only one of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. The church cost $1,500 and took two years to complete. Archbishop William H. Gross of Portland performed the church dedication ceremony in December of 1897. Prior to the building’s completion, early Catholic services were held in railroad cars, then in private homes of Catholic families. It was not until 1895 that there were enough parishioners to fund the church’s construction., The priests who presided over early congregations, lived in a small, upper alcove behind the altar until 1907 when the rectory was built. The rectory is now in private ownership at 823 Birch Ave., to the west of the church., This structure’s unusual design is attributed to Father J.H. Black, pastor of the Eugene Mission from 1895 to 1897. It is not clear why father Black chose the octagonal form. While somewhat common on the East Coast, octagonal buildings are far more rare in the West and an octagonal church is especially rare. Researchers suggest the design most closely resembles Northern European archetypes such as Aachen Cathedral in Western Germany and identify the structure as vernacular Romanesque style., The exterior of the building has undergone slight changes throughout the years. While seven of the eight original stained glass windows remain, the steeple and cross have been removed, the porch has been reconfigured, and the windows were added to allow air to circulate through the choir loft., In 1961, the congregation moved to a new location. The former church is now owned by the City of Cottage Grove and serves as the Cottage Grove Museum. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997., [Captions] , Four of the eight stained glass windows installed in the church., This photograph shows the intersection of Birch and H Street. The houses on each of the three corners still stand today. The rectory directly west of the church is also visible., This early picture of the church was taken after the rectory was built in 1907. Note the steeple and both crosses are in place. The upper level choir loft windows and the porch visible today have not yet been installed. The porch now covers the transom window over the front door.