Buildings and Architecture
Under the direction of Msgr. Keating, the campus of St. Robert Bellarmine incorporates colonial architecture reminiscent of important structures in American history. Its buildings are featured in An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles which describes the campus as follows: "Monsignor Martin Cody Keating, the priest who envisioned this, deserves some kind of medal. Next to God, his hero was Thomas Jefferson. ... Three cheers for the architect(s) and the priest who conceived of (and for the church who endorsed) this Fourth of July celebration."
The elementary school, a 1930s rebuilding of the original Holy Trinity Church, is partly Neoclassical (based on Thomas Jefferson's stables at Monticello), and partly Moderne.
The portico of the current church, dedicated in 1939 and designed by George Adams, was modeled on the south front of Jefferson's home at Monticello. The flagpole in front of the church has a bronze plaque at its base with both the Star of David and the Cross. It is inscribed with an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence: "All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights." In an alcove on the left side of the church, there was previously a statue of St. Robert Bellarmine holding a book inscribed with the words: "Political right is from God and necessarily inherent in the nature of man."
The rectory, built in 1967, was modeled after George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. The parish's three resident priests live at the rectory.
The Bellarmine-Jefferson High School was named by Msgr. Keating after both Robert Bellarmine and Thomas Jefferson in a tribute to commonly held ideals of both. The main high school building was built in 1945 and designed by Barker and Ott. The facade of the main high school building is a replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Inside the front door, the rotunda duplicates the foyer, stairway and balcony of Independence Hall. A replica of the Liberty Bell is installed in the entrance hall rotunda under the tower. The clock tower above the high school is one of the campus' most distinguishing features. The side of the clock facing east is set for 8 p.m. to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The side of the clock facing west is set for 4 p.m., the hour that the Constitution of the United States was signed on September 17, 1787.
The auditorium was added in 1952 and was designed by Barker and Ott in a Classical Roman style inspired by Jefferson's library at the University of Virginia.
Read more about this topic: St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church
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