The parish of St. Philip was established in 1964 as one of three to be carved out of the large St. Mary's Parish. The pastor of the church at the dedication of the new building in 1969 was Leonard Conlon.[2]
Buildings
The church design dates from around the 1964 establishment of the parish. The church was built 1966–1967 to the designs of local resident and parishioner, architect George J. Lechner, who was an architect draftsman for the firm of Lyons and Mather.[1][3]
The building received the Excellence in Architecture Award from the Bridgeport Association for a Better Community Design, an award given by then mayor, Frank N. Zullo and Judged by architects Thomas Bates, James Evans, and businesswoman Janice Green.[2] Lechner's modernistic designed the church to resemble a Middle-Eastern tent, as the tent is considered one of the first architectural forms in ancient tradition. The structure was formed of fluted concrete. Initially, the artwork was designed by Leslie Dor of Irvington, New York.[4] The contract was awarded in 1967 and the church completed in 1969.[1][3] The church was first used at Easter, 1969,[4] and was dedicated on November 16, 1969[3] by Bridgeport diocese Bishop, Walter W. Curtis.[4]
^ abMayor to Present Charter Revision Names to Council, The Bridgeport Telegram (Bridgeport, Connecticut) January 23, 1970, page 19, accessed March 26, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9829035//
^ abcSimilar to Early Church Structures, St. Philip's Marks Dedication Today, The Bridgeport Post (Bridgeport, Connecticut) November 16, 1969, page 46, accessed March 26, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9828666//
