Chicago Temple Building
Encyclopedia
The Chicago Temple Building is a 173 meter (568 foot) tall skyscraper
church located at 77 W. Washington St. in Chicago
, Illinois
, United States
. It is home to the congregation of the First United Methodist Church of Chicago
. It was completed in 1924 and has 23 floors dedicated to religious and office
use. It is the tallest church building in the world, although Ulm Minster is the tallest church in the world.
The congregation was founded in 1831 and built a log cabin on the north bank of the Chicago River
in 1834. In 1838, it moved the cabin across the river to the corner of Washington and Clark Streets. The current structure was completed after a debate within the congregation whether the church should remain in central Chicago or sell its valuable property and relocate to the growing suburban areas.
It was the tallest building in Chicago from 1924 until 1930, when it was surpassed by the Chicago Board of Trade Building
. This claim included the height of the steeple
to maintain the title over the 35 East Wacker
Building which opened in 1927.
The building is constructed on a steel
frame faced with limestone and is designed in the neo-gothic style by the firm of Holabird & Roche
. During planning and construction, the building was called City Temple, however by the time of completion, the name was changed to Chicago Temple.
The building houses three sanctuaries:
The Sky Chapel was created in 1952 as a gift from the Walgreen family in memory of Charles Walgreen founder of the drugstore chain
bearing his name. At 400 ft (121.9 m) above ground level, it is considered the world's highest worship space and contains 16 stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Bible.
Floors 5 through 21 of the building are rented office space with one residential area which is used by the Methodist church's senior pastor as a parsonage
. The 6th floor of the building once held the office of Clarence Darrow
, the famous trial attorney.
A fictionalized version of the building is one of the settings in Charles Merrill Smith's Father Randollph detective series, where the title character is the senior pastor resident in the skyscraper's parsonage.
The congregation is approximately 60% white, 16% black, and maybe 20% Asians and the remainder mixed. Bread is broken every other week and the diversity in the church is recognized and accepted as a modern church. It had its roots on John Wesley's teaching.
The temple is located at the southeast corner of Clark and Washington Street across from the Richard J. Daley Center
which houses offices for the offices for the city of Chicago and Cook County
courts and the Chicago Picasso
. A sculpture entitled Miró's Chicago
by Joan Miró
occupies a courtyard between the Chicago Temple and the adjacent George Dunne
Cook County Building.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
church located at 77 W. Washington St. in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is home to the congregation of the First United Methodist Church of Chicago
Chicago Methodist Church
First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple is a church located at the base and in the utmost floors of the Chicago Temple Building, a skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. The top of the building is at a height of 173 metres .-External links:**...
. It was completed in 1924 and has 23 floors dedicated to religious and office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
use. It is the tallest church building in the world, although Ulm Minster is the tallest church in the world.
The congregation was founded in 1831 and built a log cabin on the north bank of the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
in 1834. In 1838, it moved the cabin across the river to the corner of Washington and Clark Streets. The current structure was completed after a debate within the congregation whether the church should remain in central Chicago or sell its valuable property and relocate to the growing suburban areas.
It was the tallest building in Chicago from 1924 until 1930, when it was surpassed by the Chicago Board of Trade Building
Chicago Board of Trade Building
The Chicago Board of Trade Building is a skyscraper located in :Chicago, Illinois, United States. It stands at 141 W. Jackson Boulevard at the foot of the LaSalle Street canyon, in the Loop community area in Cook County. Built in 1930 and first designated a Chicago Landmark on May 4, 1977, the...
. This claim included the height of the steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
to maintain the title over the 35 East Wacker
35 East Wacker
__notoc__35 East Wacker, also known as the Jewelers' Building, is a 40-story historic building in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, located at the intersections of Wabash Avenue, and facing the Chicago River. It was built from 1925 to 1927, and was co-designed by Joachim G. Giaver and...
Building which opened in 1927.
The building is constructed on a steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
frame faced with limestone and is designed in the neo-gothic style by the firm of Holabird & Roche
Holabird & Roche
The architectural firm of Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm's designs have changed many times — from the Chicago School to Art Deco to Modern Architecture to Sustainable Architecture.-History:...
. During planning and construction, the building was called City Temple, however by the time of completion, the name was changed to Chicago Temple.
The building houses three sanctuaries:
- Sanctuary 1 is 2 stories tall on the ground floor with seating available for 1,000 people.
- Sanctuary 2 is also known as the "Dixon Chapel" and is on the 2nd floor.
- Sanctuary 3 also known as the "Sky Chapel" is the smallest sanctuary and is situated at the base of the steeple with seating for 30 people.
The Sky Chapel was created in 1952 as a gift from the Walgreen family in memory of Charles Walgreen founder of the drugstore chain
Walgreens
Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...
bearing his name. At 400 ft (121.9 m) above ground level, it is considered the world's highest worship space and contains 16 stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Bible.
Floors 5 through 21 of the building are rented office space with one residential area which is used by the Methodist church's senior pastor as a parsonage
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
. The 6th floor of the building once held the office of Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks and defending John T...
, the famous trial attorney.
A fictionalized version of the building is one of the settings in Charles Merrill Smith's Father Randollph detective series, where the title character is the senior pastor resident in the skyscraper's parsonage.
The congregation is approximately 60% white, 16% black, and maybe 20% Asians and the remainder mixed. Bread is broken every other week and the diversity in the church is recognized and accepted as a modern church. It had its roots on John Wesley's teaching.
The temple is located at the southeast corner of Clark and Washington Street across from the Richard J. Daley Center
Richard J. Daley Center
The Richard J. Daley Center, also known by its courtyard Daley Plaza and named after longtime mayor Richard J. Daley, is the premier civic center of the City of Chicago in Illinois. Situated on Randolph and Washington Streets between Dearborn and Clark Streets, the Richard J. Daley Center is...
which houses offices for the offices for the city of Chicago and Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
courts and the Chicago Picasso
Chicago Picasso
The Chicago Picasso is an untitled monumental sculpture by Pablo Picasso in Chicago, Illinois. The sculpture, dedicated on August 15, 1967, in Daley Plaza in the Chicago Loop, is tall and weighs 162 tons...
. A sculpture entitled Miró's Chicago
Miro's Chicago
Miró's Chicago is a sculpture by Joan Miró. It is tall, and is made of steel, wire mesh, concrete, bronze, and ceramic tile.-History:...
by Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
occupies a courtyard between the Chicago Temple and the adjacent George Dunne
George Dunne
George W. Dunne was an American Democratic Party politician from Chicago, Illinois. He was President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners from 1969 to 1991; the longest service of anyone holding that office....
Cook County Building.