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.

Etching of Uptown Baptist Church, 1986

An etching by Sister Rose Marie Conway showing Uptown Baptist Church, circa 1986. It is currently available here. Her bio, as found on the Sinsinawa Dominicans Web site, reads:

Sister Rose Marie finds her art, her life, and her work constantly overlapping. She makes drawings, and her drawings grew into prints. “I have come to define myself as an artist” said Sister Rose Marie. “I’ve grown into this definition by claiming my right to make art, by making art, and by realizing that this engaging activity is fulfilling for me. I think of artmaking as a spiritual act, a centering process, and a healing occupation.”

Memories of Buena Memorial Presbyterian Church in Uptown Chicago

Susan and Judy are sisters who attended Buena Memorial Presbyterian Church, which was located at 4247-4301 N. Sheridan Rd., near Montrose and Broadway, on that little peninsula-like piece of land where The Mark condos now stand. They left such wonderful comments to the original post, that we thought we would feature them here:

Judy
I grew up in this church. I loved it so much, and it was a beautiful church to be in and all the people in this church were very loving and caring people. I was thankful to be part of this beautiful church. My sister and I were lucky to be there the day the church was being taken down. We talked to the construction crew and they let us go in to collect some souvenirs. I was so sad to see all the drugs on the ground when we went inside. I could not imagine the church being abused this way,it had so much life inside. I am thankful to have all the great memories of this church. I have the original blueprints as well. I miss this church still today.

Susan
My name is Susan I'm Judy's sister. We had no idea what we were walking into when we visited the site of Buena on it's final demolition day. Our family has a big history there. When our parents moved to Chicago in "62 from Ohio, They lived on Kenmore and montrose, they saw Buena and gave it a try. They loved it immediately. There were so many cool things about how it felt just to walk into the big sanctuary. Giant wooden doors that were from my perspective 50 ft high, which led to a grand staircase into the main sanctuary.
It always felt cold in the church,the way it feels to walk into a museum, yet once settled in Sunday school or main services it was warm and inviting. the overwhelming choking back of tears when Gunther (organist) would play the call to worship and the choir would wail. It really overtook all of your thoughts.
My grandparents actually lived in the church for a while. My grandfather (James Wilson) was the caregiver for many years. When he retired and moved out, it was sad to see the church fall into such a decline. All those years of wealthy members supporting her every need, only to see it demolished still full of contents from the beginning.
Judy and I spent who knows how many hours there going through church records, the precious blueprints (they are spectacular), the Sunday school rosters, Marriage certificate copies, birth announcements, death notices. My grandparents old apartment (in the rear of the church) just destroyed filthy with the remnants of the drug addicts that would sneak in and use it for getting high, the floor littered with used needles empty bottles of booze, feces, reeking of urine. I could almost hear tears falling from the faces on the stained glass windows onto the then busted up cobblestone aisles.
We said our farewells to Buena that day, I took a brick, Judy had the blueprints, we drove home nearly silent.
Thanks for this blog. Thanks for remembering what a grand institution she was to Buena park.

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Thank you, Judy and Susan, for sharing such great memories!

St. Mary's of the Lake, Sheridan and Buena

Image courtesy John C.

Wilson Yard, 1961

My guess is that this picture was taken from a top floor in the Uptown Bank Building, looking south toward Wilson Yard. You can spot the Broadway Building in the foreground, the distinctive tower of St. Mary's Church at the top of the photo, and the McJunkin Building just below that. It is one of the many fabulous photos that appear in The Chicago "L" by Greg Borzo.

Caption reads: "In 1908, the 'L' extended service to Howard and beyond to Evanston at ground level. In 1914-1922, it elevated the track from Wilson to Howard on an embankment rather than a steel structure. This was done to support the weight of freight cars that the 'L' handled from 1920 to 1973 between Church Street in Evanston and Irving Park Road in Chicago. A huge yard was built at Wilson in 1900. Much later, a massive four-track repair and maintennce building, seen in the center background of the view south in 1961, was added. A continuous four-track main line had just been completed here, replacing a two-track bottleneck."

Greg Borzo is a co-author of The Windies' City: Chicago's Historical Hidden Treasures.

My birthday is coming up on Thursday (hint-hint), and this would make a terrific addition to my book collection. :-)

4152 Sheridan

Image Courtesy HAARGIS.

This beautiful mansion was located at 4152 Sheridan Rd. It was once the Coombs (Rowland) Funeral Home, and in the 1940s it was purchased by St. Mary's for use as a parish clubhouse. The first parish carnival was held on the grounds. What's located there today? You guessed it, condos. The below image was captured from Google street views. You can see the top of the tower at St. Mary's at the far upper right.

Seventh Church of Christ Scientists, Edgewater Chicago

This image, postmarked 1910, was sent in by a reader. The caption indicates it was the Seventh Church of Christ Scientists, but I can't quite place the building. Does anyone out there recognize it?

Buena Memorial Presbyterian Church, Buena Park, Uptown Chicago

When the roof of Buena Memorial Presbyterian Church collapsed in 1996, it was the beginning of the end. Years of neglect and deferred maintenance had taken their toll, and the century-or-so-old church was to be demolished.

Buena Memorial was located at 4247-4301 N. Sheridan Rd., near Montrose and Broadway, on that little peninsula-like piece of land where The Mark condos now stand.

Additional photos of the interior—including closeups of the collapsed roof—can be seen at King Richard's Religious Artifacts, the company responsible for the salvage operation. Fortunately, a great deal of the stained glass and other fixtures were saved.

A very depressing photo of the final destruction can be seen at Midwest Wrecking.