PORTLAND – John Ford, who won an armful of Oscars for classic films such as “The Informer” (1935), “Stagecoach” (1939), “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940) and “The Quiet Man” (1952), inspires awe among movie buffs.

But recognition of his roots in Portland has been relatively skimpy, except for a bronze statue of him at the intersection of Danforth and York streets and an auditorium named after him at his alma mater, Portland High School.

Now, the Maine Irish Heritage Center, located at the former St. Dominic’s, has established a biographical archive and film center in Ford’s honor.

The founding of the John Ford Center is the latest step in renovating the church and converting it into a cultural center that reflects its historical prominence.

“John Ford is a film icon and an important part of Irish history in Maine. We want to acknowledge that,” said John O’Dea, executive director of the Maine Irish Heritage Center.

St. Dominic’s was the center of Portland’s vibrant Irish community for 165 years. The original church was built in 1833, when it was the city’s first Roman Catholic church.

The parish grew quickly and the original church was torn down in 1888 to make way for a larger one, which opened in 1893.

Long before he changed his name and became a famous film director, John Ford was baptized at St. Dominic’s and lived on Munjoy Hill. He was known as John Martin Feeney when he served as an altar boy at the church.

The Diocese of Portland closed St. Dominic’s in 1998, after Vatican officials decided that the dwindling parish couldn’t afford $1 million in repairs.

During the last three years, volunteers have raised $900,000 of the $1.25 million needed to fix up the sturdy but aging building. Donations have come in the form of cash and in-kind contributions, O’Dea says.

With next fall’s film festival, organizers hope to generate new interest and investment in the heritage center. O’Dea says they’ve already attracted film buffs and others who might otherwise have little enthusiasm for preserving Maine’s Irish history.

“Ford really was the definitive director of a generation,” O’Dea said. “He was an underappreciated commodity, until now.”