St. Liborius Church is planned to be restored as an attractive site and functional building at the heart of St. Louis. For over a decade, Dave Blum, his partners, and volunteers have turned it into a skate park for the St. Louis community.
New Face, New Life
St. Liborius Church was established in 1856, and construction was completed in 1889. As indicated on the report of wane.com, it is the grandest gothic revival church located west of Mississippi and is recorded on the National Register of Historic Places.
At present, when one visits the St. Liborius Church in North St. Louis, one can find elaborate graffiti created by artists from around the globe.
One will immediately see a large competition-sized vert ramp.
Blum and his team renamed it Sk8 Liborius. The abandoned church and rectory need many renovations to meet the city code and eventually open to the public.
The team is seeking to collect $1 Million in donations. The team will utilize the amount for the transformation of St. Liborius Church into a skate park and building a center for underserved youth, and much more.
In 2016, Liborius Urban Arts Studio (LUAS) was founded with an aspiration to preserve the historic religious sanctuary and rectory in North St. Louis. Furthermore, it seeks to transform the site into art, music, skill training, education, mentorship, and an action sports center.
According to the report, Blum stated plenty of underserved kids in St. Louis. He believes it leads to a massive loss of creative potential. He said that if one grows up in the city, one may never discover that they love silk screening or photography because they never had the chance to do such things.
He continued by saying that the sad reality is some are just trying to survive in the neighborhood. Sk8 Liborius would be a venue for youth, teens, and adults when done with the renovations.
Sk8 Liborius would serve as a third space for youth, teens, and adults.
About St. Liborius, Abandoned
As reported by the National Catholic Reporter, St. Liborius Roman Catholic Church, located in Old North St. Louis, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was once named the "Cathedral of the North Side."
In recent years, the church has been called on social media as "the sickest, gnarliest place ever. "
According to the report, four civic-minded residents of St. Louis purchased the property a decade ago. At present, the church is transforming into a community arts center.
Nonetheless, the partners had turned nearly block-long nave into Sk8 Liborius, a skateboarding venue loved by the local skater crowd due to its challenging 12-foot ramp.
William Schickel designed the stately red-brick Gothic Revival structure. He also designed the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan.
Blum told the National Catholic Reporter that four nuns with the Sisters of the Poor visited and checked out the renovations to the abandoned cathedral.
He told the National Catholic Reporter that a nun was crying. The nuns expressed their happiness because Blum's team was saving the building and doing the Lord's work.
More from Crossmap: Trinity Church Kirkwood culminates Advent - Crossmap St. Louis, MO
