Greater Union Baptist Church
- Architect
- William Le Baron Jenney
- Year
- 1886
- City
- Chicago, IL
Greater Union Baptist Church on Chicago's Near West Side was built in 1886 and designed by William Le Baron Jenney, called the father of the skyscraper, in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The building originally housed the Church of the Redeemer, a Universalist congregation established in 1858.
the building
A Civil War-era congregation. The Church of the Redeemer held a firmly anti-slavery, pro-Union stance through the Civil War: many members enlisted, the Sunday school superintendent served as a lieutenant and was presented his sword by the pastor, and military drills were held in the church's lecture room.
the style
Jenney designed the church in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, a departure from the steel-framed towers that would later make his name.
the architect
William Le Baron Jenney, remembered as the father of the skyscraper for pioneering steel-frame construction in Chicago's downtown towers, designed this church early in his career.
significance
The building was designated a Chicago Landmark on April 19, 2023.
nearby
- Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church
- Union Park Congregational Church and Carpenter Chapel
- Union Park Hotel
- Church of the Epiphany
- Cook County Hospital Administration Building
- Cook County Hospital Administration Building