A petition is making the rounds on change.org after it was discovered that the swanky Visitation Hotel, owned by Marriott in Frederick, Maryland had opened a bar, The Wye Oak Tavern, in a former chapel. The hotel had originally been the site of the Visitation Convent and Academy, an all-girls Catholic school that had been built in 1846 and shut down in 2016 due to low enrollment. The school included a chapel, where The Wye Oak Tavern now resides, with the chapel’s high altar being the spot where the tavern serves alcohol. Although sacred objects were removed from the chapel, it still maintains several of its chapel-like features, including stained glass windows.

Elyssa Koren, an alumna of the Visitation Academy’s class of 2000, started the petition. The petition, addressed to the Marriott, called the bar a “painful misuse of the space.” “We, Visitation Academy alumni, concerned citizens of Frederick, Maryland, and others dismayed by the use of this space, 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,” the petition further pleaded. Virginia Leary, whose aunts served as nuns at the convent, voiced her dismay as well. “’How does converting the altar to a bar represent honor and respect? I believe something is missing if we have to explain why converting an altar to a bar is wrong and offensive,” she said.

Those involved in the purchase and remodel of the school and chapel, however, have affirmed that they went “well beyond” deconsecration of the site. “We removed the post-Vatican II altar which was used for mass and sacraments,” said Jim O’Hare, a co-developer of the project. “We donated stations of the cross and crucifixes to local churches. We moved statues of Virgin Mary and Joseph to our courtyard garden. And, we very purposely have constructed the bar to be separate from the historic altar.” The Archdiocese of Baltimore, which approved the sale and received $2.75 million has also affirmed the site’s secular designation. Those associated with the hotel and bar have stated they have received no complaints from patrons. The bar posted to its Instagram after the petition was started that “we’re here for the drama.”  Richard Griffin, economic development director of Frederick, spoke of the economic benefit of the hotel. “The historic building was left vacant after the Visitation Academy was closed nearly a decade ago. 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,” he said.

Speaking to Fox News, Koren pushed back. “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. The chapel turned tavern still carries the look and feel of a Catholic Church with many of the holy objects remaining. This has caused many to express serious discomfort with the location of the bar directly at the high altar.” She said the location of the bar shows “an evident disregard for the holy heritage of the space.”