First United Methodist Church of Chicago facts for kids
The First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple is a church located at the bottom and top floors of the Chicago Temple Building, a tall skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. The very top of the building reaches 173 metres (568 feet) into the sky.
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History of the Church
The church community started a long time ago, in 1831. They built their first church, a small log cabin, on the north side of the Chicago River in 1834. In 1838, they moved the cabin across the river to a new spot at Washington and Clark Streets. The church building you see today was finished after a big discussion among the church members. They had to decide if the church should stay in downtown Chicago or sell its valuable land and move to the growing suburbs. They decided to stay!
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 | 173 m (568 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 23 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Holabird & Roche |
The Chicago Temple Building is a huge skyscraper that stands 173 meters (568 feet) tall. It is located at 77 W. Washington Street in Chicago, Illinois. This building is home to the First United Methodist Church of Chicago. It was finished in 1924 and has 23 floors used for church activities and offices.
This building is considered one of the tallest church buildings in the world. This is measured from the street entrance to the very top of its spire. However, if a church building must be used almost entirely for religious purposes, then Ulm Minster in Germany, at 161.5 metres (530 feet), is the tallest.
Tallest Building in Chicago
The Chicago Temple Building was the tallest building in Chicago from 1924 until 1930. It lost its title when the Chicago Board of Trade Building was completed. To keep its "tallest" title for a while, the building's designers included the height of its tall steeple. This helped it stay taller than the 35 East Wacker Building, which opened in 1927.
Building Design and Features
The building is built with a strong steel frame and covered with limestone. It was designed in a style called neo-gothic by the company Holabird & Roche. During its planning and construction, it was called City Temple. But by the time it was finished, its name was changed to Chicago Temple.
The building has three special worship areas, called sanctuaries:
- Sanctuary 1 is on the ground floor and is four stories tall. It can seat about 1,000 people.
- Sanctuary 2 is also known as the "Dixon Chapel" and is located on the second floor.
- Sanctuary 3, known as the "Sky Chapel," is the smallest sanctuary. It is located at the very bottom of the building's steeple and can seat about 30 people.
The Sky Chapel
The Sky Chapel was built in 1952. It was a gift from the Walgreen family to remember Charles Walgreen, who started the famous Walgreen pharmacy stores. At about 400 feet (122 m) above the ground, it is thought to be the highest place of worship in the world!
The Sky Chapel has 16 beautiful stained glass windows. Four windows show stories from the Old Testament. Four others show parts of Jesus's life. Four more show the history of the Christian Church in the Old World. The last four windows show the church's history in the New World. The carved wooden altar shows Jesus looking over the city of Chicago. This view is from the top of the church building in 1952. This is similar to the main sanctuary's altar, which shows Jesus looking over Jerusalem.
Offices and Location
Floors 4 through 21 of the building are rented out as office spaces. There is also one home 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 once held the office of Clarence Darrow, a very famous trial lawyer.
A made-up version of this building is featured in Charles Merrill Smith's Father Randollph detective book series. In these stories, the main character is the senior pastor who lives in the skyscraper's parsonage.
The Chicago Temple Building is located at the corner of Clark and Washington Street. It is across from the Richard J. Daley Center. This center has offices for the city of Chicago and Cook County courts. It also features the famous Chicago Picasso sculpture. Because it is so close to the courts, many of the building's tenants are law firms. Other tenants include the Northern Illinois Conference and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women. 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/commercial building combination
