From Conrad Schmitt Studios:
The history of St. Ann Catholic Church is a true survival story, which started with "only a handful of farming families from Ireland" that overcame incredible challenges. "St. Ann's was a jewel box--a kaleidoscope of color and symbol which drew Catholics and non-Catholics alike into the mystery of the life of Christ among us," cited a late 19th-century article. After the 1930s, the church underwent a series of renovations that effectively erased any of its past beauty. After almost closing in the 1990s, the parish took the church into its own hands and kept it alive to be restored and enjoyed.
So then, in this particular instance, let's start with a photograph showing the historical "before" that came the more contemporary 'before.' As you will see, there was quite a bit of pattern and stencilling, and while the colour is not visible of course, one can tell it is quite a colourful palette, consistent with the tastes and trends of the Victorian age.
Evidently then, various changes and interventions happened in the parish, including the liturgical fads and fashions of the 1970's, which ultimately brings us to the state of the church prior to the most recent restorations.
BEFORE:
As you will see, the church has become quite flat and minimalistic with little of either architectural or artistic merit.
Fortunately, in the process of investigations into the artistic history of this church, it came to be discovered that the original historic paintings were still intact. As the author of a Catholic Key story on the parish comments, "while the original paintings could not be brought to life without risking their loss, they could be replicated exactly."
This sort of opportunity is, of course rare. Frequently when true restorations are undertaken, there can be a certain amount of guess work involved, as well as some creative interpretation required, given that we are often working with an incomplete picture. In this particular instance, it would appear they had quite a bit to go on that allowed for the original artistic schema to be substantially restored. For that reason, I think we can truly class this as a "restoration" as opposed to a renovation. Let's take a look at what was accomplished, the results of which speak for themselves.
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