First Unitarian Church of Detroit
First Unitarian Church of Detroit | |
The First Unitarian Church in 2008 | |
Interactive map showing building location | |
Location | 2870 Woodward Avenue Detroit, Michigan |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°20′37.6″N 83°3′18.91″W / 42.343778°N 83.0552528°W / 42.343778; -83.0552528 |
Built | 1889–90 |
Architect | Donaldson and Meier |
Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
Demolished | May 11, 2014 |
MPS | Religious Structures of Woodward Ave. TR |
NRHP reference No. | 82002899[1] |
Added to NRHP | August 3, 1982 |
The First Unitarian Church of Detroit was located at 2870 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. Built between 1889 and 1890, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[1] It was destroyed by fire on May 10, 2014.[2]
History
The First Congregational Unitarian Society was incorporated on October 6, 1850. This church, their second, was dedicated in November 1890. The congregation used the church until 1931, when the widening of Woodward Avenue required a remodeling of the church. At that time, they worshiped with the First Universalist Church of Our Father, whose sanctuary on Cass Avenue had been built in 1916. This arrangement worked out so well that the two congregations merged in 1934 to form the Church of Our Father (Unitarian-Universalist), which later became the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit.[3][4] The First Unitarian building was then sold in 1937 to the Church of Christ denomination.[3] The building went through other owners before finally being abandoned during the 2000s. It sat empty and in poor condition until destroyed by fire in 2014.[5]
Architecture
Designed by the architectural firm of Donaldson and Meier,[6] the First Unitarian Church of Detroit was a Romanesque Revival-style church built of red sandstone. After its remodeling during the 1936 widening of Woodward, it remained substantially as built. The gabled façade had a great expanse of masonry; a simple four-bay porch with a shed roof and stone Romanesque columns spanning the first floor. There was a two-story hip-roofed projection at the corner, and a side porch with stone piers covering a side entrance.[3]
Most of the original John La Farge stained glass windows that faced Woodward Avenue survive in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, which acquired the work in 1959.[7]
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Muller, David (May 11, 2014). "Historic First Unitarian Church of Detroit partially demolished after blaze; Arson investigation underway". mlive.com. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ a b c "First Unitarian Church of Detroit". State of Michigan. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011.
- ^ Braun, Ruth L. (1964). The Story of this Church: First Unitarian-Universalist: Liberal Religion in Detroit. First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Detroit. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
- ^ "Cover Story: Fire Destroys Landmark Detroit Church". Firehouse. August 1, 2014.
- ^ Hill, Eric J. & John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3. p. 110.
- ^ "Helping Angel Window Panel, 1890". Detroit Institute of Arts. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
Further reading
Arson Questions
External links
- Detroit Blog Archived March 23, 2021, at the Wayback Machine: Pictures of the First Unitarian Church of Detroit
- Detroiturbex.com: Photo gallery and history
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along Woodward Ave.
(address #)
- St. John's Episcopal Church (2326)
- Woodward Avenue Baptist Church (demolished)
- First Unitarian Church (2870)
- First Presbyterian Church (2930)
- Temple Beth-El (3424)
- Cathedral Church of St. Paul (4800)
- Our Lady of the Rosary (5930)
- Metropolitan United Methodist Church (8000)
- First Baptist Church (8501)
- Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church (8501)
- North Woodward Congregational Church (8715)
- Temple Beth-El (8801)
- Saint Joseph's Temple Baptist Church / King Solomon Baptist ChurchEpiscopal Church (8830)
- Central Woodward Christian Church (9000)
- Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament (9844)
- Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church (12375)
- Trinity United Methodist Church (13100)
- First United Methodist Church (16300)
- Central United Methodist Church (23 East Adams)
- First Congregational Church (33 Forest)
- Highland Park Presbyterian Church (14 Cortland)
- Mariners' Church (170 East Jefferson)
(also Hamtramck)
- Al-Islah Mosque (Hamtramck)
- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church
- Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church
- Chapel of St. Theresa-the Little Flower
- Christ Church Detroit
- Fort Street Presbyterian Church
- Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Historic Trinity Lutheran Church
- Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church
- Most Holy Redeemer Church
- Sacred Heart Chaldean Church
- Sacred Heart Major Seminary
- Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Convent and Rectory
- St. Albertus Roman Catholic Church
- St. Aloysius
- Saint Andrew's Memorial Episcopal Church
- Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church
- St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church (demolished)
- St. Bonaventure Monastery
- St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church
- St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church
- St. Florian Church (Hamtramck)
- St. James Episcopal (Grosse Ile)
- St. John's-St. Luke's Evangelical
- St. Josaphat's
- St. Joseph Catholic Church
- St. Mary Roman Catholic Church
- Saints Peter and Paul Church
- Saints Peter and Paul Academy
- St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Roman Catholic Church
- St. Theresa of Avila Roman Catholic Church
- St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church (demolished)
- Second Baptist Church
- Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church
- Temple Baptist Church – King Solomon Baptist Church
- Trinity Episcopal Church
- Trumbull Avenue Presbyterian Church
- Tushiyah United Hebrew School – Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church
- Christ Church Chapel (Grosse Pointe)
- Christ Church Cranbrook (Bloomfield Hills)
- Dearborn Mosque
- Detroit Temple, Church of the Latter Day Saints (Bloomfield Hills)
- Duns Scotus College (Southfield)
- Grosse Pointe Memorial Church (Grosse Pointe)
- Islamic Center of America (Dearborn)
- First Albanian Bektashi Tekke in America (Taylor)
- Kirk in the Hills (Bloomfield Hills)
- Mother of God Cathedral (Southfield)
- National Shrine of the Little Flower (Royal Oak)
- Nardin Park United Methodist Church (Farmington Hills)
- Piety Hill Historic District (Lapeer)
- St. Hugo in the Hills Catholic Church (Bloomfield Hills)
- St. Mary Church (Monroe)
- Saint Paul Catholic Church (Grosse Pointe Farms)
- Congregation Shaarey Zedek (Southfield)
- Temple Beth El (Bloomfield Hills)