First United Methodist Church of Chicago facts for kids
First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple is a special church located inside the Chicago Temple Building, a tall skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. The very top of this building reaches about 568 feet (173 m) into the sky!
A Church in the Sky: The Chicago Temple Building
Quick facts for kids Chicago Temple Building |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Chicago school, Gothic Revival architecture (tower) |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°52′59″N 87°37′50″W / 41.8830°N 87.6306°W |
| Construction started | 1923 |
| Completed | 1924 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 568 ft (173 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 23 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Holabird & Roche |
The Chicago Temple Building is a 568-foot (173 m) tall skyscraper that also serves as a church. You can find it at 77 W. Washington Street in Chicago, Illinois. It's the home of the First United Methodist Church of Chicago.
This amazing building was finished in 1924. It has 23 floors used for both church activities and offices. Some people consider it the tallest church building in the world. This is because they measure from the street entrance all the way to the top of its spire. However, if a church building needs to be almost entirely used for religious purposes, then Ulm Minster in Germany, which is 530 feet (160 m) tall, is considered the tallest.
The Chicago Temple Building was the tallest building in Chicago from 1924 until 1930. That's when the Chicago Board of Trade Building became taller. The Chicago Temple kept its "tallest" title for a while by including the height of its pointy steeple.
The building is made with a strong steel frame and covered with limestone. It was designed in a style called neo-Gothic by the architects Holabird & Roche. When it was being planned, it was called City Temple. But by the time it was finished, its name was changed to Chicago Temple.
A Look Back: History of the Church
The church group started way back in 1831. They built their first church, a small log cabin, in 1834. It was on the north side of the Chicago River.
In 1838, they moved the log cabin across the river. It ended up at the corner of Washington and Clark Streets. The current tall building was built after a big discussion. The church members had to decide if they should stay in downtown Chicago or sell their valuable land and move to the growing suburbs. They decided to stay!
What Makes the Building Special?
The Chicago Temple Building is unique because it combines a church with office spaces. It's a very tall and impressive structure.
Inside the Temple: Three Special Sanctuaries
This building is special because it has three different places for worship, called sanctuaries:
- Sanctuary 1 is on the ground floor and is four stories tall. It can hold up to 1,000 people.
- Sanctuary 2 is also known as the "Dixon Chapel." You can find it on the second floor.
- Sanctuary 3 is called the "Sky Chapel." It's the smallest sanctuary and is located at the very bottom of the steeple. It can seat about 30 people.
The Sky Chapel: A Worship Space High Above Chicago
The Sky Chapel was created in 1952. It was a gift from the Walgreen family. They gave it in memory of Charles Walgreen, who started the famous Walgreen pharmacy stores.
At about 400 ft (120 m) above the ground, the Sky Chapel is thought to be the highest worship space in the world! It has 16 beautiful stained glass windows. Four windows show scenes from the Old Testament. Four others show parts of Jesus's life. Another four tell the story of the Christian Church in the Old World. The last four show the church in the New World. The carved wooden altar shows Jesus looking over the city of Chicago. This is a view from the top of the church building in 1952. It's like a mirror of the main sanctuary's altar, which shows Jesus looking over Jerusalem.
The Grand Organ: A Musical Masterpiece
The Chicago Temple is also home to a very special organ. It's an E.M. Skinner organ, called Opus 414. This huge instrument has 5,589 pipes! It was designed to fit perfectly in the main sanctuary.
The organ was finished in 1923. It was a gift from a banker named Albert Harris. To celebrate the building's 100th birthday in 2024, a big fundraising effort began. They are trying to raise $3.25 million to fix and restore Opus 414 so it can play perfectly again.
Who Else Uses the Building?
Floors 4 through 21 of the building are rented out as office spaces. There's also one living area used by the Methodist church's main pastor. This home, called a parsonage, takes up three floors of the spire, just below the Sky Chapel.
The sixth floor of the building used to be the office of Clarence Darrow. He was a very famous trial lawyer.
The Temple's Neighbors
The Chicago Temple is located at the corner of Clark and Washington Street. It's right across from the Richard J. Daley Center. This building holds offices for the city of Chicago and Cook County courts. It also has the famous Chicago Picasso sculpture outside.
Because it's so close to the courts, many of the offices in the Chicago Temple Building are for law firms. A sculpture called Miró's Chicago by Joan Miró is in a courtyard between the Chicago Temple and the nearby George Dunne Cook County Building.
See also
- List of tallest buildings in Chicago
- Court Street Methodist Church, Janesville, Wisconsin, another church that is also a commercial building
