March 1, 2011

When They Moved a Whole Church -- Our Lady of Lourdes, 4640 N. Ashland, Chicago, 1929

From the Chicago Daily News archives, two great views of Our Lady of Lourdes at 4640 N. Ashland, taken in 1929. According to Parishesonline.com: "In 1916, the Spanish Renaissance-style church with its distinctive red-tiled domes replaced the original frame church. We became 'famous' for a unique event that happened back in 1929. The entire church was moved from the east side of Ashland Avenue to the west side. The church was cut in half and then a thirty-foot extension was inserted. This was occasioned by the widening of Ashland Avenue, and the need for increasing the capacity of the church."

To learn more about Our Lady of Lourdes or plan a visit, go to: Our Lady of Lourdes.


2 comments:

VNikol said...

Wow! Amazing how the church remained the same for so many years. I lived on Ashland/Wilson for 20 years & had so many memories of the church & the school right across the street where so many of my friends attended. The church sat at the end of my block & was a normal fixture of my childhood.. so many memories. Enjoying your site.

Unknown said...

My grandparents owned a 3 flat on Ashland just south of Addison and it was moved back several feet...it kept the 3 apartments but lost the basement and the front windows were very low to the street. I believe they moved back several blocks of houses...amazing what they could do back then with less equipment to work with.

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