On a Monday, July 27, 1891, a committee made up of Charles Busby, Charles Lasher, Reverend Dolliver and A.D. Traveller, selected the church site on the corner of Evanston Avenue (now Broadway) and Buckingham Place. This site was purchased and the church building construction began.
A sermon about crime in 1911
50 years in 1941
The original church was built of blue bedford stone with a red tile roof. The interior was finished in oak with a large truss ceiling and was completed in 1902. The sanctuary seated 450 congregants.The church staff ministered under the name Evanston Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church until 1914 when the name was changed to Broadway Methodist Episcopal Church in conjunction with the re-naming of several streets in Chicago.
Serving the needy 1946
The Fire 1983
page - East Lake View by Matt Nickerson
photo - Lake View Patch 2012
photo - Lake View Patch 2012
photo - Lake View Patch 2012
photo - Lake View Patch 2012
In 1946 the congregation opened a counseling adviser clinic for members of the community. The clinic dealt with issues such as unemployment, pre-marital & marital issues according to a 1946 Chicago Tribune article. This type of activity in a 'house of worship' was a bit avangard for that time period. In February 1983, a fire gutted the church and most of the beautiful stained-glass windows were lost. By 1969 the denominations of Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren merged into one congregation.
1998 The pastor, Rev. Greg Dell, of this church conducted a same-sex marriage ceremony on church property - a violation of church policy at the time and more than a decade before it became legal in the United States.

Reverend Dell in his church
photo - Chicago Tribune
photo - Michael Greene via Associated Press
Rev. Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church protests outside the Broadway United Methodist Church Sunday, Nov. 22,
1998 in Chicago. Rev. Phelps and family members came to the church to protest a
September marriage between two gay men officiated by Methodist Rev. Gregory
Dell.
In the year 2000 ACLU of Illinois Gay and Lesbian Rights Project's annual John R. Hammell Awards brunch honored Rev. Gregory Dell for performing a same-sex union ceremony. He was suspended from Broadway United Methodist Church for that act but won praise from this gay-friendly neighborhood. Ten years later, Rev. Dell was inducted into Chicago's
Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame Dell's ceremony sparked a change in national church
policy.
A church with "a wonderful history of being involved in
and advocating for social justice movements" is now "ignoring the
pain it causes" to a segment of society, he said in 2009.

a congregation with an apparent scene of humor
The home of 'gay' friendly homeless youthalso the home of a Catholic based organization
View countless photos of this congregation via Flickr.
And view the post about the community that this 'house of worship' services in my post called Community of Boystown.
(part of my collection)
a merger of Diversey Street Congregations in 1925
another merger of churches in 1963
the current occupant ...
Iglesia Cristiana Unida
(United Christian Church)
Iglesia Cristiana Unida
(United Christian Church)
before that ...
Holy Covenant United Methodist Church
Holy Covenant United Methodist Church
and before that
Diversey Parkway Evangelical Church
926 W Diversey Parkway
and now in the Community of Lincoln Park
photo - Chuckman Collection
1905 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
their baseball team in 1918
photo - Ebay
Ravenswood United Methodist Church
Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection,
Chicago Public Library via Explore Chicago
Chicago Public Library via Explore Chicago
4 photos below - Chicago Sojourn
Ravenswood Methodist Evangelist Church was established in 1879 in Lake View Township and known currently know as the Ravenswood Fellowship. The church was constructed the year the City of Lake View merged with the City of Chicago
Elim Swedish Methodist Episcopal
District of Lake View
postcard - Chuckman Collection
photo - Ebay
This church was constructed in 1899
(click on article to enlarge)
(click on article to enlarge)
-
now condos as of 2008 called The
Steeples
The original church building was sold to a Nels Anderson and he moved the building to 946 Barry Avenue (1414 Noble -pre 1909 address) in 1898. Below is a photo of the church. The building remained a church after the move but under another name. The photo below is owned by Arlene Nybakken Chase. According to Arlene the building need to be slightly configured due to the construction of the elevated tracks next to it.
Centennial German Methodist Church
and later called...
Lakeside Japanese Christian Church of Chicago
Lakeside Japanese Christian Church of Chicago
at Sheffield and Wellington
image - Chicago: City of Neighborhoods
originally called the Centennial German Methodist Church
1923 Sanborn Fire Map (edited) highlights the
Chicago & Evanston branch
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul rail tracks
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that internment camps were illegal in 1943 Japanese Americans had to settle west of the Mississippi River. Many settled in Chicago due to a residence restriction - must live west of the Mississippi River . This church was one of a few churches for the Japanese community in Lake View. Read more about this congregation's evolution with this link.originally called the Centennial German Methodist Church
1923 Sanborn Fire Map (edited) highlights the
Chicago & Evanston branch
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul rail tracks
Gross Park Methodist Episcopal Church
The church was located a block south of
Gross Park on Otto Street
above 1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
below 1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
the area west of Paulina Street
Otto=Henderson
image - Gross Park on Henderson-Facebook
this Sanborn Fire Map indicated the location of the Northwestern Company railroad station house
and the Gross Park Hall
as well as 'Gross Park' on Otto Street
Episcopal Churches:



photos - Steve Clarke via Forgotten Chicago on Facebook
who donated the Russian iconic wall piece to the church
Built in the Township of Lake View
Community of Ravenswood



the original naive
photo - The 1883 Project on Facebook

photo - Chicago Sojourn
2000 photo - De Paul University Digital Collection

photo - Chicago Sojourn

photo - Chicago Sojourn

photo - Chicago Sojourn
Episcopal Churches:
A Thanksgiving tale in 1898
(click to enlarge)

photo - Lake View Patch 2012

photos - their website

photo - Lake View Patch 2012
photo - Lake View Patch 2012
photo - their website
photos - their website



photos - Steve Clarke via Forgotten Chicago on Facebook
who donated the Russian iconic wall piece to the church
They once owned a Building on Broadway
3212 N Broadway (Evanston Avenue)
Apparently St. Peter's held a respectable amount of property along Belmont and Broadway (once Evanston Avenue).
3212 N Broadway (Evanston Avenue)
Apparently St. Peter's held a respectable amount of property along Belmont and Broadway (once Evanston Avenue).
This new five-story brick Gothic style structure
was to be a Hull House like settlement house but in 1910
image below - Jeff Hamrick via LakeView Historical-Facebook
The building was reconfigured and is currently used as the
Lake View Athletic Club
Renovation Plans began in 2018
per a online conversation on their FB page in 2020
'We moved out of the building in 2018 to get started on
the process of renovations. That was a long process of discernment, working
with architects and now contractors. We're scheduling the beginning of
construction now, and we will plan to reoccupy the building in 2021 (hopefully
close to the middle of the year). We were also able to save quite a bit of money by moving
out and holding our services on Wellington Ave. Church of Christ - in their basement while we decided how to move forward
with our own building.'
The rectory was sold in 2018 to be privately developed
the floor plans
The façade remains but for the interior ...
Community of Ravenswood
image - Chuckman Collection
also mentioned later in this post under
'The Churches Made of Wood'
also mentioned later in this post under
'The Churches Made of Wood'
Built in 1884 survived two fires & a demolition attempt.
This church is the oldest wooden framed/beamed



the original naive
photo - The 1883 Project on Facebook
Built in the City of Lake View

photo - Chicago Sojourn
2000 photo - De Paul University Digital Collection

photo - Chicago Sojourn

photo - Chicago Sojourn

photo - Chicago Sojourn
The congregation formed after $500 was spent converting a barn into a small church to serve Chicago’s north side Episcopalians. When the congregation grew, a small wood-frame church was completed in 1869 at the intersection of Lincoln, Belden and Orchard. It served as a refuge for victims of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. The current site of Church of Our Savior was completed in 1888. The parish hall building was already at 530 Fullerton Parkway and had served the Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church.
Post Notes:
This post is part of a 6 part series of blog posts about 'Houses of Worship' according to faith. Most Houses of Worship have attached schools on their private property that I may or may not be highlight in any of these posts. These following posts only briefly narrate a particular institution and 'pray' I did not forget one.
The following are a complete list of posts related to
Houses of Worship:
Read the earliest accounts of the churches of old Lake View 1884 from historian Theodore Andreas that is not covered in this series of post about the 'Houses of Worship' from page 722.
Read the list of all types of churches as of 1905:
Important Note:
These posts are exclusively used for educational
purposes. I do not wish to gain monetary profit from this blog nor should
anyone else without permission for the original source - thanks!
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