The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is an Art Deco-style monolithic concrete cathedral located at 508 Raymond Street.
Bishop Vincent J. Ryan dedicated Bismarck’s cathedral on August 30, 1945 after four years of construction and nearly thirty years of planning. The Great Depression and World War II delayed its completion. The first Cathedral School opened that year as well, housing 153 students in four classrooms. It was replaced by the current school in 1956. The Cathedral completed renovations in 1993, which also added a gathering space.
Land for a cathedral was purchased as far back as 1917 by Bishop Wehrle, who contracted Milwaukee architect Anton Dohmen in 1921. Dohmen designed a total of five churches in North Dakota, including the Richardton Saint Mary’s at Assumption Abbey and Mandan’s Saint Joseph. Dohmen presented two designs for a cathedral, but the Great Depression put plans for the grand church on hold.
Preparation resumed in about 1940. It was among the first tasks Bishop Ryan undertook, who hired architect William F. Kurke of Fargo to design the Cathedral. Kurke aided in designing the current state capitol the preceding decade, which was also an Art Deco style. Kurke’s design much resembled one of the designs first presented by Dohmen. Groundbreaking occurred in September 1941. The Cathedral was partially incomplete upon its 1945 dedication, particularly furnishings. This was in large part due to material shortages resulting from the war.
Today, the Cathedral is considered a local landmark, so much so that the prestigious historic neighborhood where it’s located is named the Cathedral District. Many of Bismarck’s oldest surviving homes are located there, some of them former mansions to Bismarck’s great pioneers.
