About Us
Father Albert Braun
The Braun-Sacred Heart Center, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation which exists to save and restore the Old Sacred Heart Church building for use as a museum and cultural center. The church building is located on the northeast corner of 16th Street and Buckeye Road in southeast Phoenix, Arizona within the former Golden Gate Barrio. For many of the older Mexican American barrio neighborhoods the Old Sacred Heart Church was the center of their civic and religious life.
After a prolonged struggle with the city government, the Golden Gate Barrio neighborhood was purchased and razed for the expansion of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, but primarily it was for the creation of a commercial/industrial development known as Sky Harbor Center. The Sacred Heart Church building, built by the parishioners themselves with the motto “brick by brick” was viewed simply as another piece of real estate whose demolition was necessary to further economic development.
However, to many in the comunity, it symbolized a close-knit barrio made up of 6,000 relatives and friends. This substantial community with familial links throughout the city revolved around the Old Sacred Heart Church and the legacy of Father Albert Braun, a hero of World War I & II. The last regular church mass was held on December 29, 1985. Since the closure of the church, the Braun-Sacred Heart Center has hosted an annual Christmas Mass every year in the Old Sacred Heart Church. Many of the old residents, their families and friends reunite to pay their respects to the church, Father Braun and to share in this special sacred event. Each year the mass is dedicated to those who have passed away in the preceding year.
During the removal of the approximately 6,000 residents of the Golden Gate Barrio, the City of Phoenix moved to tear down the structure that had become the center of this extended vibrant community. The city unexpectedly ran headlong into strong resistance from city residents. The Old Sacred Heart Church today sits alone in an empty field as the last remaining structure of what was once the Golden Gate Barrio neighborhood.
The Braun-Sacred Heart Center, Inc. was formed as a nonprofit in order to create a museum and cultural center in the building and surrounding area. The organization maintains community memory and promotes the ideals of community involvement and belonging. The Arizona Department of the American Legion, wishing to participate, committed itself to establish a Veteran’s museum at the site in honor of Father Albert Braun’s military service to his country.
Owing to the resistance to the demolition of the church building, a call for proposals was issued and the Braun-Sacred Heart Center, Inc. was the only respondent. The submitted proposal envisioned a complex beneficial to the former residents, the remaining community, and the tenants of the Sky Harbor Center, the economic development envisioned by the city. City staff was directed to work with the Braun-Sacred Heart Center and negotiations were to continue. It has been over two decades since negotiations began and no conclusion has yet been reached.
Over the course of those two-plus decades, a number of developers have approached the city with plans that included the preservation of the church with the participation of the Braun-Sacred Heart Center, the most recent occurring in October 2008 when two developers stepped forward with plans that included development of a museum and cultural center through the Braun-Sacred Heart Center.
The Braun-Sacred Heart Center has continued to move forward with the spirit of the Museum and Cultural Center while awaiting the City of Phoenix’s action pertaining to the Old Sacred Heart Church building. While originally opposed to the idea that the church building was of historical importance, the city has now recognized Sacred Heart’s significance in the development of the city. Oral history and community documentation projects are now underway in various parts of the Phoenix metropolitan area and throughout Arizona sponsored by the Braun-Sacred Heart Center.
We invite you become a member of the Braun-Sacred Heart Center, donate, participate, and share your oral history and memories of the Golden Gate Barrio and other old neighborhoods and communities.
After a prolonged struggle with the city government, the Golden Gate Barrio neighborhood was purchased and razed for the expansion of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, but primarily it was for the creation of a commercial/industrial development known as Sky Harbor Center. The Sacred Heart Church building, built by the parishioners themselves with the motto “brick by brick” was viewed simply as another piece of real estate whose demolition was necessary to further economic development.
However, to many in the comunity, it symbolized a close-knit barrio made up of 6,000 relatives and friends. This substantial community with familial links throughout the city revolved around the Old Sacred Heart Church and the legacy of Father Albert Braun, a hero of World War I & II. The last regular church mass was held on December 29, 1985. Since the closure of the church, the Braun-Sacred Heart Center has hosted an annual Christmas Mass every year in the Old Sacred Heart Church. Many of the old residents, their families and friends reunite to pay their respects to the church, Father Braun and to share in this special sacred event. Each year the mass is dedicated to those who have passed away in the preceding year.
During the removal of the approximately 6,000 residents of the Golden Gate Barrio, the City of Phoenix moved to tear down the structure that had become the center of this extended vibrant community. The city unexpectedly ran headlong into strong resistance from city residents. The Old Sacred Heart Church today sits alone in an empty field as the last remaining structure of what was once the Golden Gate Barrio neighborhood.
The Braun-Sacred Heart Center, Inc. was formed as a nonprofit in order to create a museum and cultural center in the building and surrounding area. The organization maintains community memory and promotes the ideals of community involvement and belonging. The Arizona Department of the American Legion, wishing to participate, committed itself to establish a Veteran’s museum at the site in honor of Father Albert Braun’s military service to his country.
Owing to the resistance to the demolition of the church building, a call for proposals was issued and the Braun-Sacred Heart Center, Inc. was the only respondent. The submitted proposal envisioned a complex beneficial to the former residents, the remaining community, and the tenants of the Sky Harbor Center, the economic development envisioned by the city. City staff was directed to work with the Braun-Sacred Heart Center and negotiations were to continue. It has been over two decades since negotiations began and no conclusion has yet been reached.
Over the course of those two-plus decades, a number of developers have approached the city with plans that included the preservation of the church with the participation of the Braun-Sacred Heart Center, the most recent occurring in October 2008 when two developers stepped forward with plans that included development of a museum and cultural center through the Braun-Sacred Heart Center.
The Braun-Sacred Heart Center has continued to move forward with the spirit of the Museum and Cultural Center while awaiting the City of Phoenix’s action pertaining to the Old Sacred Heart Church building. While originally opposed to the idea that the church building was of historical importance, the city has now recognized Sacred Heart’s significance in the development of the city. Oral history and community documentation projects are now underway in various parts of the Phoenix metropolitan area and throughout Arizona sponsored by the Braun-Sacred Heart Center.
We invite you become a member of the Braun-Sacred Heart Center, donate, participate, and share your oral history and memories of the Golden Gate Barrio and other old neighborhoods and communities.