The church was founded in 1892 as Sacred Heart Parish in the Westside, a neighborhood with a large ethnic Polish population, after the Polish immigrant community petitioned Syracuse's bishop for a national parish of its own. The original church was located across the street from the current structure.[1] The first Mass in the new parish church was said on August 30, 1892, with the formal dedication taking place nearly a year later on June 11, 1893.[1]
The congregation outgrew the first church within a decade, decided was made to construct a new church. The foundations were built by parishioners in order to save money, and the cornerstone was laid in 1907.[2] Work was completed in three years, and the church was completed and dedicated on June 5, 1910, by Paul Peter Rhode, the Polish-born auxiliary bishop of Chicago .[2]
Following the construction of the new church building, the old church building was converted into a parochial school. That structure burned in a fire in 1916 and was replaced by a larger brick school. The new building was expanded again in 1926, to accommodate the continued growth of the parish. Additional community buildings were constructed up to the 1940s.[1] Sacred Heart High School closed in June 1975.[3] In 2002 a decision was made to close the parish school because of declining enrollment; some Catholic families had moved out of the neighborhood and others no longer chose parochial school.[4]
In July 2017, the basilica celebrated 125 years as a parish church.[5] The basilica is in the middle of a project to install a new pipe organ. The new organ is a 1927 Skinner Organ, Opus 669. The Skinner organ was originally built and installed at the First Church of Christ, Scientist on Genesee Street in downtown Syracuse; this congregation closed in 2003. The Skinner organ replaces a smaller Moller organ, built and installed in the basilica in 1910. The Moller organ had fallen into disrepair, and needed to be replaced.[6]
The cruciform building was designed by Syracuse architects Merrick and Randall, and built in stone with a marble veneer in Gothic Revival style. With a capacity of 1,200, it is 162 feet (49 m) long and 105 feet (32 m) across at its widest point. Its two spires are 212 feet (65 m) high.[2][7]
The church features a series of fine stained glass windows from Munich, the Henry Keck Stained Glass Studio in Syracuse and from St Louis.[8][9] One stained glass window depicts Polish saint Maximilian Kolbe, who was murdered at Auschwitz.[10] It contains a 1910 Möller organ. That organ is being replaced during the spring of 2018.[11] The original asphalt-shingled roof was replaced in 2009 with slate and copper, in order to ensure longevity.[12]
Pope John Paul II issued a Papal bull to elevate Sacred Heart to a minor basilica in 1998. The formal dedication took place on October 3, 1999, with Syracuse Bishop James Moynihan reading the Papal bull and Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Costello acting as Celebrant.[1][13]
