Religious Structures of Woodward Avenue Thematic Resource facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Religious Structures of Woodward Avenue TR
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Central United Methodist Church from across Woodward
Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Detroit, Michigan
Built	1859–1929
Architect	James Anderson, Sidney Rose Badgley, Hugh B. Clement, Ralph A. Cram, C. Howard Crane, Donaldson and Meier, J. Adam Fichter, William E. N. Hunter, Albert Jordan, Albert Kahn, Gordon W. Lloyd, Malcomson & Higginbotham, George D. Mason, James J. Nettleton, William H. Nicklas, Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, Guy J. Vinton, Henry A. Walsh
Architectural style	Tudor Revival, Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival, Beaux Arts, Classical Revival
MPS	Religious Structures of Woodward Avenue TR
NRHP reference No.	82002893 - 82002896, 82002898, 82002904, 82002905, 82002906, 82002908, 82002911, 82002912, 82002916, 82002918 - 82002921
Added to NRHP	August 3, 1982

The Religious Structures of Woodward Avenue Thematic Resource is a special collection of historic buildings. These buildings are mostly churches and synagogues. They are located along Woodward Avenue in Detroit and Highland Park, Michigan. This group of buildings was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 3, 1982. This means they are important historical sites.

History of Woodward Avenue Buildings

In the early 1800s, Detroit grew mostly to the east and west of Woodward Avenue. People built homes along streets like Fort Street and Jefferson Avenue. Woodward Avenue itself started to become a place for homes during the American Civil War. This happened as the downtown area became more focused on businesses.

By the early 1900s, Woodward Avenue was a fancy residential area. It stretched north to where Interstate 94 is today. Large mansions of wealthy families stood next to beautiful churches. While most of these old mansions are gone, many of the churches are still standing. Some famous mansions that are still around include the David Whitney House and the Col. Frank J. Hecker House.

After 1900, cars became popular and the city grew bigger. Woodward Avenue changed from a quiet residential street to a busy mix of shops and apartment buildings. Many families who owned the big mansions moved to newer neighborhoods. When the original owners passed away, their homes were often turned into apartments or torn down.

As more people moved north, new churches were built to serve them. Many churches were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s in this northern area. In 1909, the Highland Park Ford Plant opened in Highland Park. This led to many more people moving there, and more churches were built to meet their needs.

Around 1935-1936, Woodward Avenue was made much wider just north of downtown Detroit. Almost every building on the east side of the street was torn down. Many of the churches in this collection had to rebuild the front parts of their buildings. Later, in the 1950s and 1960s, most of the remaining old homes in the area were also removed.

Why These Buildings Are Important

The buildings in this collection are special because they show many different ages and styles of architecture. They include:

• Three churches built in the High Victorian Gothic style (from 1859 to 1887).
• Two buildings in the Richardson Romanesque style (from 1889 to 1896).
• Two neo-classical synagogues (from 1902 to 1922).
• Five Gothic-style churches with a central layout (from 1909 to 1926).
• Seven neo-Gothic churches (from 1908 to 1930).

Even with different styles, these buildings share some things in common. All of them are made of stone, or brick with stone details. Most of them are on corner lots. Also, most have other buildings nearby, like a house for the minister or a smaller chapel. They usually sit far back from the street, except for those that were affected by the widening of Woodward Avenue in the 1930s.

These buildings also show important work by famous architects. Albert Kahn, known for his industrial buildings, designed both of the Temple Beth-El buildings. He was a member of that church! Sidney Rose Badgley designed the Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church. This church is a great example of his unique "auditorium church" style. Ralph A. Cram designed the St. Paul Cathedral, which was a major project early in his career. Gordon W. Lloyd designed the Central United Methodist Church. He was one of Michigan's top church architects in the late 1800s. Similarly, William E. N. Hunter, who designed the Highland Park First United Methodist Church, was a leading church architect in the early 1900s.

List of Important Structures

This collection includes nineteen buildings that are important for their architecture and history. They are spread out over six miles along Woodward Avenue. They go from Grand Circus Park in Detroit to just south of McNichols. Here are the buildings, listed from south to north:

Resource name	Also known as	Image	Address	Built	City	Note
Central United Methodist Church			23 E. Adams (at Woodward)	1866	Detroit
St. John's Episcopal Church			2326 Woodward (at Fisher Freeway)	1859	Detroit
Woodward Avenue Baptist Church	United House of Jeremiah		2464 Woodward	1886	Detroit	This church was destroyed by fire in 1986.
First Unitarian Church of Detroit	Church of Christ of Detroit		2870 Woodward (at Edmund Place)	1889	Detroit	Destroyed by a fire in May 2014.
Temple Beth-El	Bonstelle Theatre		3424 Woodward	1902	Detroit
Cathedral Church of St. Paul			4800 Woodward (at Hancock)	1908	Detroit
Our Lady of the Rosary Church	Saint Joseph's Episcopal Church		5930 Woodward (At Edsel Ford Freeway)	1883	Detroit
Metropolitan United Methodist Church			8000 Woodward (at Chandler)	1922	Detroit
Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church	Abyssinia Church of God in Christ		8501 Woodward (at Philadelphia)	1908	Detroit
First Baptist Church	Peoples Community Church		8601 Woodward (at Pingree)	1909	Detroit
North Woodward Congregational Church	St. John's Christian Methodist Episcopal Church		8715 Woodward (at Blaine)	1911	Detroit
Temple Beth-El	Bethel Community Transformation Center		8801 Woodward (at Gladstone)	1921	Detroit
Saint Joseph's Episcopal Church	St. Matthew-St. Joseph Episcopal Church		8850 Woodward (at Holbrook)	1926	Detroit
Central Woodward Christian Church	Little Rock Baptist Church		9000 Woodward	1926	Detroit
Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament			9844-54 Woodward (at Arden Park-Belmont)	1913	Detroit
Highland Park Presbyterian Church	Park United Presbyterian Church		14 Cortland (at Woodward)	1910	Highland Park
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church	Prayer Temple of Love Cathedral		12375 Woodward (at Highland)	1929	Highland Park
Trinity United Methodist Church	New Mt. Moriah Baptist Church		13100 Woodward	1922	Highland Park
First United Methodist Church	Soul Harvest Ministries		16300 Woodward (at Church)	1916	Highland Park

There are also three other important religious buildings along Woodward Avenue. These were listed on the National Historic Register even before the Religious Structures of Woodward Avenue collection was approved. They are:

Resource Name	Also known as	Image	Address	Built	City	Note
Mariners' Church			Jefferson and Randolph	1849	Detroit	Added earlier (April 11, 1971)
First Presbyterian Church	Ecumenical Theological Seminary		2930 Woodward	1889	Detroit	Added earlier (December 19, 1979)
First Congregational Church			33 Forest (at Woodward)	1891	Detroit	Added earlier (July 4, 1979)

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios religiosos de la avenida Woodward para niños

• List of buildings located along Woodward Avenue, Detroit
• Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District
• Midtown Woodward Historic District