When this colorful church was constructed in 1913, it was distinctly more traditional. It was based on traditional Romanesque architecture, and its trim, constructed from wood from Columbia, was painted white. The rest of its features, the pillars, columns, pews, and altar were all painted in trompe l’oeil, a then-popular technique of painting an imitation wood. As the decades passed, the finishes darkened into a dark and dreary brown palette. Reverend Gerard d’Astous decided that it would be easier to repaint the church than it would be to clean it….
