St. Marks Church

Rahway's St Mark's parish was founded in 1871. Their church was constructed in 1885 in the period appropriate Carpenter Gothic style. Few Roman Catholic churches from this time period survived as long as St Mark's had, as many sanctuaries were rebuilt or lost to fire. The congregation at this time was mostly German immigrants.

Source

Despite the long run, the parish had an uneventful history. At some point the structure was heavily modernized. Most of the building's original charm was lost during this process. The St. Marks parish merged with the nearby St. Marys Parish in 2010. St Marys was a larger, more wealthy congregation. St Marks was operating with a $70,000 deficit. At the same time the St. Mary's parish had a $20,000 surplus. The merger did not go smoothly though, as many from the St. Mark's parish felt their wishes were not being catered to. Services were slowly and quietly phased out at the aging sanctuary.

Demolition started in the spring of 2018 when the stained glass windows were removed. A small portion of the building itself had been demolished when work suddently stalled. However it only lasted long enough for myself and a few other to be able to document the sanctuary. Demolition was completed in 2019.