Background
John T. Comes was born in 1873 in Larochette, Luxembourg. His father, John Richard, was an expert woodcarver, and his father’s twin brother, John Adam, was a builder by trade. The family came to America when Comès was eight years old.
(At present, the parish is one of the ten largest congrega...)
At present, the parish is one of the ten largest congregations in the United States with over 5,500 families. Christ the King School also occupies the property, with an enrollment of approximately 600 students.
John T. Comes was born in 1873 in Larochette, Luxembourg. His father, John Richard, was an expert woodcarver, and his father’s twin brother, John Adam, was a builder by trade. The family came to America when Comès was eight years old.
His early education occurred in St. Paul, Minnesota, but he earned a master of science in architecture from Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
He came to Pittsburgh around 1897, and worked for several architectural firms before beginning his own. With the firm of Rutan and Russell, he built St. Augustine Church on 37th Street in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. With the firm of Beezer Brothers, he built St. John the Baptist Church (now the Church Brew Works and Restaurant) also in Lawrenceville; both of these churches have been named Historic Landmarks by Pittsburgh’s History and Landmarks Foundation. At least three of his churches are on the National Historic Registry: St. Fidelis Church in Victoria, Kansas, St. Luke’s Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, and St. Gertrude Church in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. Comès worked for nearly 20 years under his own name before adding two partners to form the firm of Comes, Perry and McMullen in 1921, just a year before his death.