Over Tontitown’s St. Joseph Catholic Church
Drew Shoptaw from Agile Aerial Solutions shot these photos of what is left of a once thriving church building in Tontitown.
The St. Joseph Catholic Church is a parish of the Catholic Church located in Tontitown, Arkansas, The parish and the town were established by a group of Italian Americans led by Father Pietro Bandini, who settled in the area as miners and tenant farmers in the late 19th century. Originally, It was a large Late Gothic structure, built in 1939–44 from rusticated concrete blocks that were fashioned on site. Its architecture was characterized by buttresses, lancet-arched windows, and a square tower with open belfry projecting at one corner. The building been a major cultural civic center for the local Italian community, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
In December of 2017, the building was demolished, leaving only the tower in place. The Parish are in their new building, near by.
