In 1882, Fr. Moretti moved from Our Lady of Sorrows to take up residence in a small cottage on Illinois St. opposite the new basement church. On December 1, 1882, he purchased the lot to the east of the church to build a priory. Fr. Morini describes the building in this way: “On 25 June 1883, on this lot number 6, they began to build a three-story house with basement. It was twenty-five feet across the front, fifty feet in length, and forty-four high, with eight rooms, a parlor, a refectory, and kitchen.” By November 1883, Moretti was able to move into the new priory. In August of 1884, construction on the church was resumed so that by August 15, 1886, Archbishop Patrick Feehan solemnly dedicated the new church. The three bells were added to the 175 foot tower the following year.

We recently came into the possession of three picture postcards of Assumption, dated 1930. The postcards came from Philip Sbarbaro, a descendant of one of the early Assumption families. These are the oldest known photos of the interior of the church. Prior to this, no interior pictures of Assumption existed until after the 1939 renovation. During that renovation, the ceiling was completely re-done and the Ave Maria was installed around the cornice by artist Louis Grell. The original ceiling artwork was by Luigi Gregori, better known for decorating Sacred Heart Basilica at Notre Dame, IN.