Making a name with churches

By Rosanne Bowman

Some families are known for their academic prowess, or they distinguish themselves in a particular sport. The DeCurtins family, however, are remembered as talented architects, decorators and artists. For over 90 years, the family designed, built and decorated churches, along with other ecclesiastical buildings such as rectories, schools and convents, in northwest and central west Ohio, leaving a lasting legacy of buildings people still use today.

Anton DeCurtins, along with his wife Mary Kemper DeCurtins, came to America from Graubunden, Switzerland, in 1849. They originally lived in the Cincinnati area where he worked as an architect and organ builder.

The couple eventually settled in Carthagena. Almost all of the DeCurtins' eight children made an impact in the surrounding area as gifted craftsman and artists.

“They were craftsman and artisans from the Old World tradition,” said Mary Ann Olding who has worked for the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, holds master's degrees in English and history from Wright State University and has done doctoral work in geography at the University of Cincinnati. “The only one that went to college was Andrew DeCurtins. The rest of them trained using the apprenticeship-style program.”

Mary, Clara and their brother Anthony DeCurtins were all talented interior decorators. Frank and Agnes DeCurtins were gifted artists.

Fred DeCurtins, a grandson of Anton DeCurtins, was also an architect. One of his more well-known buildings was a Catholic school in Maria Stein, but it has since been torn down.

Unfortunately, according to Olding, many of the churches and schools built by the DeCurtins are either no longer in existence today or have been extensively remodeled.

“Many 19th century schools were lost or drastically altered when consolidation of rural school districts occurred,” she said. “Anton built many of the first-generation churches, but they were torn down and replaced by larger churches, so his contributions don't exist any longer.”

However, the churches that are still around show the DeCurtins' many talents. According to the National Register of Historical Places nomination form, Elizabeth DeCurtins, a granddaughter of Anton DeCurtins, remembered that, “these churches are outstanding because the blend between the exterior and interior design of the churches was a major concern to the DeCurtins architects.”

Oldings added, “It was important because so many churches were being built then, and they were able to do the frescoes and interior painting. When the DeCurtins were hired, the church got the whole thing — they got artisans to do the whole church inside and out. That was very unusual during that time period.”

John, the oldest, and his brother Andrew followed in their father's footsteps. John, unfortunately, died in a tragic train accident a mere three years after Anton DeCurtins' death in 1895. Andrew DeCurtins is probably the most well-known son of Anton DeCurtins, having designed and/or built numerous churches and other ecclesiastical buildings such as the St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Sebastian and the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Complex in Celina, both of which are on the National Register of Historical Places.

One of the biggest architectural contributions by the DeCurtins came from Anton DeCurtins. He designed St. Aloysius Catholic Church located in Carthagena, which was the first church done in the style distinctive of a group of churches that are known as the “Land of the Cross-tipped Churches.”

“The Land of the Cross-tipped Churches” includes 42 parishes within a 22-mile radius of the Maria Stein convent. These churches are located in Mercer, Auglaize, Shelby and Darke counties, with one located in Trinity, Ind. The churches are distinctive because of the towering spires topped by crosses that adorn each church.

“Somebody had to come up with the idea,” Olding said. “If (Anton) had not built that church in Carthagena, the landscape would look totally different. You can't find the concentration of churches like this anywhere else in the country — and I've looked.”

In 1979, 64 of the churches in this group, many of which were designed or built by the DeCurtins, were added to the National Registry of Historical Places.

While there are examples of the DeCurtins' work in other styles, many of the churches they designed and built were in the Gothic Revival style. This was mainly because that was what was popular during that time period. Gothic Revival style features steeply pitched roofs, pointed arched windows, an emphasis on vertical proportions, and often featured tall towers and buttresses.

The DeCurtins, while best known for their churches, rectories and other ecclesiastical buildings, also built other things. One well-known building in Lima is the Argonne Hotel located downtown.

“There's been some discussion that the DeCurtins were not trendsetters, and some criticize that they were just doing what everyone else was doing,” Olding said. “That is somewhat true but what is different about them is the magnitude of their work. There are 20 to 30 ecclesiastical buildings that are theirs, and many of their contracts included not just the outside of the building, but the inside as well.”

If you have a story idea or an item you feel the community would like to know about for the Religion section, please contact Rosanne Bowman at bbowman3@woh.rr.com or 419-516-6149.