Thousands of people have signed a petition begging the owners of a chapel-turned-bar in a Maryland Marriott to stop liquor from the former high altar. Wye Oak Tavern is a boutique bar at the Visitation Hotel in Frederick, Md. Catholics are asking the hotel to restore the dignity of the building features large stained-glass windows and statues of kneeling angels.
The bar is located in the former chapel of the Visitation Convent and Academy, a Catholic all-girls school that closed in 2016 due to low enrollment. The building was constructed in 1846. Elyssa Koren, lawyer, mother of five, and alumna of the Visitation Academy authored the original petition. She demanded that the Visitation Hotel “restore the dignity of the chapel by relocating the bar.”
She added, “Even though the chapel was properly deconsecrated – for the girls of Visitation, for Christians, and people of goodwill everywhere, this is an evident and painful misuse of the space.” She went on to state that “We…request you to make the necessary changes as soon as possible to restore its dignity and respect its holy heritage – either by removing the altar and tabernacle or relocating the bar to another location,“
Koren has not heard back from the hotel staff. According to the hotel website, “The sale stipulated that the property and chapel be used for non-religious purposes. Sacred objects have been removed from the chapel. Any remaining items are present solely to maintain the building’s historical character, as required by secular authorities.”
Jim O’Hare, who developed the Visitation Hotel, said he took every step requested by the Archdiocese.”Because we wanted to be respectful of the prior use of the chapel, we went well beyond just deconsecration,” he explained. “We removed the post-Vatican II altar which was used for mass and sacraments. We donated stations of the cross and crucifixes to local churches. We moved statues of the Virgin Mary and Joseph to our courtyard garden. And, we very purposely have constructed the bar to be separate from the historic altar.”
However Koren was dissatisfied, she thought it was important for her to launch the petition to “stand up for the historical and sacred integrity of the former chapel.” “The response to the petition makes clear the level of outrage and pain that the developer’s decision has caused many alumnae and other members of the community,” she wrote
Top Chef” star and James Beard semifinalist Bryan Voltaggio, along with his brother Michael Voltaggio, is unbothered by the situation at Wye Oak Tavern. “We’re here for the drama. Welcome to Wye Oak Tavern,” the restaurant disrespectfully quipped on Instagram two days after the petition was launched. However, Koren fired back saying “Respecting a former place of worship isn’t drama. It’s basic decency.”
Richard Griffin, the economic development director for the City of Frederick, offered another perspective. He said that the city is “delighted” to have the Visitation Hotel as the first hotel in Downtown Frederick in 50 years. He added “The historic building was left vacant after the Visitation Academy was closed nearly a decade ago,” he added. “It takes great vision and private investment to renovate and adaptively reuse a large vacant historic structure like the Visitation building which no longer met contemporary building codes for handicap accessibility, life safety, and utilities.”