Since its formation in 1895, Sacred Heart Parish has unceasingly served the Tampa community, offering weekly mass, charity, and faith formation services to its members. The historic structure the Parish currently uses to hold mass was erected in 1905. Designed in the Romanesque style, the church was built with stunning white marble, and adorned with 70 stained glass windows illustrating various biblical scenes and Catholic figures. The church has become a local icon for Tampanians.
In 1931, Sacred Heart Parish built Sacred Heart Academy at the North Florida Campus to educate elementary students, and quickly extended services to middle school students as the community grew. The historic campus is occupied by commanding red brick buildings and a canopy of oak trees. The school served the Tampa Bay area for 81 years before closing in 2012.
Shumake Architecture, PA has had the honor of supporting Sacred Heart in restoring and improving its historic properties. Before establishing his own firm, Primary Architect Bob Shumake, along with fellow parishioners, built new polished wood pews for the church and painted the school’s gym on the North Florida Campus. Since then, our firm has collaborated with the Parish, the Franciscans, and the Diocese on several projects. Our firm helped the church update their AC system, which had broken down in the height of Summer. More recently, Shumake Architecture designed a new fence bordering the school’s property.
The fence was the beginning of an extensive plan to restore and modernize Sacred Heart Academy with the hope that the campus could once again be of use to the Parish. Made with solid black bars, the new fence replaced the chain link fence that had surrounded the property for over a decade. Our firm chose to design the fence with an updated front gate and better fire escape features. The new fence gives the property better boundaries without distracting from the charm of the old campus. It is our hope that the fence creates a safe area for the future operation of the North Florida Campus.
We are proud to have assisted an institution that has done so much for our community, and we look forward to seeing how Sacred Heart Parish grows. Contact us for information on how Shumake Architecture, PA can help you plan and realize your future projects.
-Margret Shumake
(Margret is an alumnus of Sacred Heart Academy, graduating elementary school with the distinction of valedictorian. She graduated from Penn State Dickinson Law in the Spring of 2021. She enjoys traveling, reading, painting, hiking, and swimming).
