Capturing churches' character | Bottle Works exhibit catalogs Cambria City houses of worship

July 18, 2008 01:33 pm

— By TOM LAVIS
TLAVIS@TRIBDEM.COM
When Johnstown native Lauri Apple learned that four historic Cambria City churches would be abandoned, she wanted to do something constructive.
She applied her talent as a photographer to create a visual composition that would record the history, architecture and cultural impact the closings would have on the community.
In February, Bishop Joseph Adamec of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown announced plans to close four of the five churches in Johnstown’s historic Cambria City neighborhood – St. Columba, Immaculate Conception, St. Rochus, St. Stephen and SS. Casimir & Emerich – as well as the West End Catholic School.
“My idea was to create a photo essay focused on the four Catholic churches and school slated to be closed by the diocese,” Apple said in a telephone interview from her Chicago home. “I want it to reflect the cultural importance of those facilities to the people of Johnstown.”
That exhibit, titled “Cambria City: A Living Treasure,” is on display through Aug. 15 at the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center, 411 Third Ave. in the Cambia City section of Johnstown.
During four days of shooting in April, Apple was accompanied by her friend and professional architectural photographer, David Schalliol, also of Chicago.
The pair shot hundreds of digital photographs of exteriors and interiors of these architectural and cultural treasures.
The diocese plans to merge five Cambria City churches into one by July 2009.
Rosemary Pawlowski, executive director of Bottle Works, credits Apple for trying to turn an emotional issue into something positive.
Pawlowski cleared the way for the project by getting permission from the churches and the school to launch the enterprise.
“When I got Lauri’s call, we were a community in turmoil because of the announcement,” Pawlowski said. “She was well-prepared and submitted a proposal, plus she had the credentials that moved the project forward.”
Apple, 32, is a 1993 graduate of Richland Senior High School. She is a 1996 and 2001 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and 2007 graduate of Cardozo Law School (Yeshiva University) in New York City.
She understands the com-munity and its cultural diversity.
“I grasp the importance of this potential loss to the community,” she said.
She also was raised Catholic and attended St. Clement School for seven years, which gave her an insight when taking pictures at West End Catholic.
“I was particularly touched by the well-behaved, sweet children at the school and their dedicated teachers,” Apple said.
With her bachelor of arts degree in history and the history of art and architecture, she recognizes the importance of documenting the structures.
“My education enables me to understand the historic and cultural significance of the churches and school, Apple said.
“I understand the impact of their potential closure.”
Of the hundreds of images shot by Apple and Schalliol, 20 photographs, which were framed and mounted, were selected for the exhibit.
Schalliol, a professional architectural photographer and current graduate student at the University of Chicago, was impressed with Cambria City as soon as he and Apple drove into Johnstown.
“We arrived about 7 a.m., and as the sun rose in the East, the light was perfect,” he said. “We started taking pictures immediately.”
Schalliol’s first priority was a straight-forward approach to document structures and use his technical skills to capture the esthetics of the churches inside and out.
“What drew me to the project was the rich history of the neighborhood and the impact the character of the structures had on Cambria City and the surrounding region,” he said.
Schalliol also was impressed by the number of churches in a 10-block area.
“I was surprised at the contrast among the churches,” he said.
“From St. Rochus, with its much simpler style because it has been modernized, to the ornate work at St. Stephen’s, each church demonstrated the parishioners’ faith in expressing their religious dedication.”
Schalliol doubts whether he will return for the exhibit because of his busy schedule, but he has a wish.
“If I return to Johnstown 10 years from now, I hope to see the churches being used or preserved,” he said.
The exhibit also includes photos by Johnstown residents Jim Richey and John Allen.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Pitt-Johnstown professor and author James Alexander will conduct a slide presentation focusing on the urban landscape of Cambria City at 7 p.m. July 29.
Bottle Works also will be the site of the Great Ethnic Cook-Out from 1 to 5 p.m. Aug. 3.
The event includes demonstrations every half-hour of how to make pagache, pierogi and other ethnic food.

Exhibit
What: “Cambria City: A Living Treasure.”
Where: Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center, 411 Third Ave., Cambria City.
When: Through Aug. 15.
Admission: Free.
Information: 536-5399.

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