The cathedral that received its spire in 2010

Construction on the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist started in 1890 to replace a previous cathedral that burned down in 1861. The new building was constructed on the foundations of the destroyed Saint John and Saint Finbar Cathedral. Although the building was designed by Brooklyn architect Patrick Keely, the diocese was unable to build a planned steeple and spire in 1890 due to funding constraints.

In 2010, the cathedral finally added a steeple, spire, and three bells. The spire is covered in copper lattice and is topped with a 16x9 foot gilded copper Celtic cross. To reduce wind load, the spire features open grill work to allow air to flow through. The arches below the spire were fabricated from a special fiberglass used in shipbuilding and clad in copper, decorated by brown cast stone pinnacles.

Inside, the cathedral features pews made of carved Flemish oak and three original altars constructed out of white marble from Vermont. The upper church, which has a seating capacity of 720 worshippers, contains stained glass windows created in France. While the steeple bells were also cast in France, the cathedral's pipe organ was manufactured in the United States.

The interior has seen several updates over the decades, including extensive repairs in 1966 and 1967. The interior was renovated and repainted in 1995, which included a new altar and cathedra. The stained glass windows were refurbished in 2007, completing a long process of preservation for the historic structure.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons