PNC Protected Property Spotlight: Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church
Now a coffee and wine bar, Oxford’s Sanctum Coffee & Wine Bar is a study in Section 106 and adaptive reuse.
photography by David Strevel of Capital City Camera Club
With the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act up for a vote next week, which threatens Section 106 (catch up here), and PNC committing to protect Weldon’s Grace Episcopal Church, we’re taking a look at Sanctum Coffee & Wine Bar, formerly Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Oxford.
As we continue to monitor major threats to Section 106 with the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act up for a Senate vote next week (catch up here), and as we actively market Grace Episcopal Church in Weldon, this week we are highlighting the adaptive reuse of Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Oxford as Sanctum Coffee & Wine Bar.
Built in 1955, this mid-century Spanish Eclectic-style brick church features modernist stained-glass windows designed by noted liturgical artist Ade Bethune, a multi-curved parapeted front gable, a red-tile roof at the arcaded entry, and Solomonic Corinthian columns. The building was first determined as eligible for the National Register in 2017. Fortunately that eligibility listing triggered a Section 106 Review after a bank purchased the property with plans to demolish it.
With astounding community support, a local developer later acquired the building, listed it on the National Register and placed an easement on the property with PNC in 2024. The owner then sold the building to Anna Housman who renovated the space as Sanctum Coffee & Wine Bar, a thriving serene cafe space and modern-day community hub.
Thanks to the process of Section 106, the community got a voice in preserving this beautiful historic building which is now a contributing business in downtown Oxford.
