| Agora Grand Event Center | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Former names | St. Patrick's Church |
| General information | |
| Type | Event center |
| Location | 220 Bates Street, Lewiston, Maine, |
| Coordinates | 44°05′41″N 70°12′44″W / 44.094837°N 70.212183°W |
| Construction started | 1887 |
| Completed | 1890 |
| Owner | Andrew Knight |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Patrick Keely |
The Agora Grand Event Center is a large event venue in Lewiston, Maine.[1] It is also the second-tallest building in the state.
The Agora Grand was created by renovating the former St. Patrick's Church, a Roman Catholic church whose cornerstone was laid on July 24, 1887, by the Right Reverend Bishop Healy[2] and last Mass was held in October 2009.[3] At 220 feet to its taller spire, it is the second-tallest building in Maine,[4] based on the definition of "height to architectural top" by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.[5]
It was purchased in March 2014, by developer Andrew Knight,[6] who opened the Agora Grand in May 2016. Knight received an award from the Lewiston Historic Preservation Board for his work in reviving the building; his wedding was the first held at the renovated building.[7]
In 2014, Knight converted the former St. Patrick's Church Rectory, also known as the Albert Kelsey Mansion, into a boutique hotel.[8] The former church contains a mortuary chapel and basement crypt in which the church's original builder and priest, Monsignor Thomas Wallace, was buried from 1906 to 2007, when his body was exhumed and moved to Mt. Hope Cemetery. In 2015, Knight converted the former crypt into a novelty annex of the Inn at the Agora, purportedly the world's first "crypt hotel room."[9]
- ^ Schneider, Karen (March 20, 2016). "A GRAND rebirth for St. Patrick's Church | sunjournal.com". www.sunjournal.com. Lewiston Sun-Journal. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
- ^ Sadliers' catholic directory, almanac and clergy list quarterly. D.&J. Sadlier & Co. 1888. pp. 28–.
- ^ St. Patrick's Holds Final Mass
- ^ "St. Patrick's Church". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
- ^ "Criteria for Defining and Measuring Tall Buildings". Retrieved 2017-04-23.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Zoning Change Sought for Lewiston Church Property
- ^ Taylor, Scott (May 20, 2016). "History, memories and weddings tied up in Agora Grand renovation | sunjournal.com". www.sunjournal.com. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
- ^ Inn at the Agora brings new life to Lewiston's St. Patrick's Rectory
- ^ 'World's first' crypt hotel room opens in Maine