When FedExForum was being built more than 20 years ago, there were concerns that vibrations from the heavy machinery would cause damage to the much smaller St. Patrick Catholic Church nearby.

The church at 277 S. Fourth St. survived as it has for more than a century. Next year, St. Patrick marks the 120th anniversary of the current church building and 160 years as a parish — the third-oldest Catholic parish in the city after St. Peter and St. Mary’s — both on the other end of Downtown.

The first church structure on the property was marked with a cornerstone in November 1866. Construction on the present church building began in 1904 with a dedication of the combined church and school building in 1907, according to “Between The Rivers,” the official history of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis.

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