There’s a new chapter in a decades-old story involving a beloved church in Phoenix. The city is negotiating the future of the historic Sacred Heart Church with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.
Located at 16th Street and Buckeye Road, it was built in the 1950s, but the diocese hasn’t recognized it as a church for many years. Councilman Michael Nowakowski recalls what happened to the community in the 1980s.
“I actually went to church there and helped out with the youth group and have many memories,” he said. “And, I remember when the four barrios were basically condemned and taken over by the city because of the expansion of the airport and those were some dark times, especially within the Latino community.”
If, after three months, the diocese and city can’t reach a deal to restore the building it will go to Chicanos Por La Causa as part of a larger contract approved Wednesday. Phoenix will lease about 35 acres of land around the historic building for a mixed-use project focusing on employment-generating uses.
Councilwoman Kate Gallego represents the district and said, “It was wonderful for me to hear from the Catholic Church that they were supportive of this proposal because there was a time when they were deeply concerned about it, so it took a lot of work to get us to this point today.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct when the was contract was approved.
