First Baptist Congregational Church
Chicago, United States
Open to visitors
The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.
Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.
Find out more
Located at 60 N. Ashland Blvd. in Chicago, the First Baptist Congregational Church is a Gothic Revival structure built between 1869 and 1871 from Lemont limestone with a slate roof. Designed by architect Gurdon P. Randall for the Union Park Congregational Church (founded in 1860), the building is nearly square in plan with shallow transepts and features an amphitheater-style interior—a sermon-centered seating arrangement that Randall is widely credited with originating. Following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the church temporarily housed the Mayor's Office, City Council, and General Relief Committee. The building underwent successive mergers with other congregations, including First Congregational Church in 1910, Leavitt Street Congregational Church in 1917, Bethany Congregational Church in the 1920s, and Mozart Baptist Church in 1970. An adjacent Carpenter Chapel, also of Lemont limestone in similar style, features a spire that visually connects the two structures. Both the church building and chapel are Illinois Historic Landmarks listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Architect
Movement
- Built
- Type
- church building
- Place
- Chicago, United States
This building on
Architecturally similar
First Baptist ChurchLexington, United States
First Parish Congregational Church (1891)Wakefield, United States
First Baptist ChurchBridgeport, United States
First Baptist ChurchBoston, United States
First Baptist ChurchPhoenix, United States
First Congregational Church, FormerIowa, United States
First Congregational ChurchWaltham, United States
First Methodist ChurchMassachusetts, United States
Location