Social hall providing 60 years of service
St. Francis Centre celebrates giving back to community
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS — At a celebration of St. Francis Centre’s 60th anniversary, Bishop Mark Brennan of the Wheeling-Charleston Catholic Diocese, and other clergy were joined by several who have managed the rental hall through the years. Attending the event were, from left, Paula Dolan, daugher of the late John D’Aurora; Penne and Tim Buchmelter; Tina Owen; Angie Thompson; Brennan; the Rev. Joe D’Aurora; Carol Scurti Miller; Anna Marie Welshans; Scott Welshans; Jim DeMundo, the hall’s current manager; and the Rev. Jude Perera of St. Anthony Catholic Church, whose leaders and members built the hall. -- Contributed
A LONGTIME COMMUNITY FIXTURE — Members of St. Anthony Catholic Church of Follansbee and others throughout the community, celebrated the 60th anniversary of St. Francis Centre. The hall, located at 805 Lee Road in Follansbee, was originally built to function as a school. It was decided the building would be used as a social hall, where it has held several public and private events, such as weddings, reunions and fundraisers. -- Contributed
CELEBRATING 60 YEARS — At a celebration of St. Francis Centre’s 60th anniversary, Bishop Mark Brennan of the Wheeling-Charleston Catholic Diocese, and other clergy were joined by several who have managed the rental hall through the years. Attending the event were, from left, Paula Dolan, daugher of the late John D’Aurora; Penne and Tim Buchmelter; Tina Owen; Angie Thompson; Brennan; the Rev. Joe D’Aurora; Carol Scurti Miller; Anna Marie Welshans; Scott Welshans; Jim DeMundo, the hall’s current manager; and the Rev. Jude Perera of St. Anthony Catholic Church, whose leaders and members built the hall. -- Contributed
A LONGTIME COMMUNITY FIXTURE — Members of St. Anthony Catholic Church of Follansbee and others throughout the community, celebrated the 60th anniversary of St. Francis Centre. The hall, located at 805 Lee Road in Follansbee, was originally built to function as a school. It was decided the building would be used as a social hall, where it has held several public and private events, such as weddings, reunions and fundraisers. -- Contributed
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FOLLANSBEE -- Built initially to function as a school, St. Francis Centre has instead served as a location for special occasions, from weddings to reunions; civic fundraisers and, at times, a place to worship.
The latter purpose is fitting since the social hall at 805 Lee Road was launched 60 years ago by leaders and members of St. Anthony Catholic Church and the Wheeling-Charleston Catholic Diocese.
Many gathered there on Dec. 2 to celebrate the anniversary, which included a Mass led by the Rev. Mark Brennan, bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Catholic Diocese, and a dinner provided by an anonymous donor.
It was one of many times when people came together at the hall for food, fellowship and celebration.
A short history compiled by organizers for the event revealed the many hands that made the hall a reality in 1963.
Church leaders noted the building's original purpose was to serve as a high school for St. Anthony's School, a parochial school that then served children in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Located on Jefferson Street in downtown Follansbee, the school had become overcrowded, with as many as 72 children enrolled in first grade at a time when the church was said to include 3,000 members.
Plans in 1961 called for the new building to include a gym, lockers and shower rooms for its student-athletes, and members of the Class of 1964 to be the first to graduate from the new building.
Some former St. Anthony students of that time can recall priests and nuns from the church leading them up to the school's future site: A 25-acre wooded section of Hooverson Heights, a suburb east of Follansbee.
But as many older students transferred to Weirton Madonna High School, then relatively new to the area, the plans changed to creating a hall that could serve church events and generate revenue through rentals.
A booklet produced for the building's Aug. 25, 1964, dedication states many parishioners made monetary donations for the purchase of the property and construction of the building, surpassing the $125,000 targeted for the project. Albert Romagnoli and John D'Aurora headed a building committee that secured contractors and materials.
While the Emmanuel Katzman Co., a division of National Steel, was hired to create the basic structure, many local tradesmen from within and outside the church volunteered their skills and equipment.
Clearing of the lot, using heavy equipment, was credited to the Formis brothers, while many volunteers were said to have poured concrete for the building's interior and exterior. Local contractor Francis Gaudio was among those involved in its planning, and Albert Iafrate, fresh from a missionary project in Africa, oversaw such aspects as the brick and stone exterior and interior tile.
The D'Ulisse brothers installed heating and plumbing for the building at no cost to the church.
C.F. Smith, then principal of Hooverson Heights Elementary School, donated the building's granite cornerstone. Several people contributed artistic elements of the hall at that time and in later years.
August DiMarzio was behind the marble altar, while the Rev. John W. Gracey finished the mosaic of St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan order, seen on the stone wall just off the main entrance. A portrait of St. Francis painted by Pittsburgh artist Josephine Melodini was donated by John and Mary Gray and hangs on the front wall. For the hall's 10th anniversary, the Rev. Harold Moore designed the star-shaped monument outside "dedicated to all those of this valley who have died at work."
Leaders and members of the church noted the hall has played a major role in its mission and in the community.
A Christmas Eve children's mass was celebrated there for many years, and the ample space provided by the hall allowed parishioners to worship there during the pandemic. With a seating capacity of 450, St. Francis Centre has been the site of many school banquets, annual dinners held by the Follansbee Chamber of Commerce, blood drives and fundraisers for various civic groups.
Among the more unique events were two concerts by opera singer Filippo DeStefano, a Follansbee native. Through the years the hall and its catering service has been overseen by several managers beginning with the late John D'Aurora. On hand or represented at the anniversary celebration were Tim and Angie Thompson, Tim and Penne Buchmelter, Scott and Anna Marie Welshans, Carol Scurti Miller and its current manager, Jim DeMundo.
(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)