Chicago is home to many historic churches and religious buildings, including some which were once considered the tallest buildings in the entire United States. From Gothic Revival to Chicago School architecture, visit these houses of worship to see how they define the city’s art and style.
CHICAGO TEMPLE BUILDING
Chapel in the Sky: Founded in 1831, the First United Methodist Temple — located in the Chicago Temple Building across from Daley Plaza in the Loop — is older than the city. Known for its grandiose architecture in the heart of the city, the temple is home to Opus 414, a two-story pipe organ. Take a self-guided tour that highlights the art and symbolism of its stained-glass windows.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Radical Roots: Founded in 1833 in the Woodlawn neighborhood, the First Presbyterian Church is also older than the city of Chicago. Founding pastor Jeremiah Porter was a renowned abolitionist who set a precedent of antiracist action from the church, which, decades later, developed ties to Martin Luther King Jr. and Saul Alinsky. The church donates studio space for artists in the South Side and frequently hosts open houses and exhibitions.
HOLY NAME CATHEDRAL
Seat of the Archdiocese: Holy Name Cathedral in River North is the seat of the Catholic archdiocese in Chicago, which was established in 1843. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed its first permanent home, and the current cathedral opened three years later. Its Gothic Revival style is revealed by its bronze front doors, pipe organs and decorative ambos. But it also holds a place in Chicago’s notorious mob history. On Oct. 11, 1926, Al Capone’s men gunned down Earl “Hymie” Weiss, the leader of the North Side Gang, in front of it. The bullet holes are still in the cornerstone.
ST. MICHAEL’S
Survived the Great Fire: St. Michael’s red brick steeple is visible from nearly everywhere around the quaint apartments in the Old Town neighborhood of Lincoln Park. In fact, the church, built in 1852, had been the tallest building in the United States until Chicago’s own Board of Trade Building took that honor in 1885. It is named for both St. Michael and Michael Diversey, a brewer who donated the land (Diversey Pkwy. on the North Side is named after him). The church is a stunning feat of architecture that withstood the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.
OLD ST. PATRICK’S
World’s Largest Block Party: This West Loop parish — Chicago’s first English-speaking parish — was founded by Irish immigrants on Easter Sunday in 1846, and moved into its current home a decade later. Like St. Michael’s, it also survived the Great Chicago Fire, and is the oldest public building in the city. Beyond its stained-glass windows inspired by the Book of Kells, Old St. Pat’s hosts an annual summer block party and maintains a thriving Irish congregation.
KAM ISAIAH ISRAEL
Oldest Jewish Congregation in Chicago: Located on the border between Kenwood and Hyde Park, KAM Isaiah Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation both in the city and Illinois. While originally formed in the Loop in 1847, the congregants moved to the South Side in 1906 and have maintained the building’s Byzantine Revival style ever since. The Obamas’ house is across the street.
ST. STANISLAUS KOSTKA
Tiffany Chandeliers: Established by Polish immigrants in 1867, the St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish evokes the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with its Renaissance Revival style. Despite numerous fires and population changes, the spirit of St. Stanislaus’ remains undimmed. Its yellow brick limestone and chandeliers make it a unique gem in the Pulaski Park neighborhood.
FOURTH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Free Concerts: The Fourth Presbyterian Church is beautiful inside and out, with a Gothic Revival interior shrouded by ivy-covered limestone walls. The congregation, formed in 1871, isn’t technically the fourth one of its kind — the name arose from a series of mergers and relocations. Located on the Magnificent Mile, it hosts free concerts nearly every day along with other community events.
United Church of Hyde Park
South Side History: United Church started as the Hyde Park Presbyterian Church in 1858. The current building opened in 1889, the same year that the City of Chicago annexed Hyde Park Township. It was among the first churches in Chicago to have women on its board and to racially integrate its school. Over the years it has merged with several other congregations, and now serves three denominations.
