All Saints Episcopal Church (or All Saints) is a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

of the

Episcopal Church of the United States The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...

at 4550 North Hermitage Avenue in the Ravenswood neighborhood of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Built in 1883, the structure was declared a

Chicago Landmark Chicago Landmark is a designation by the Mayor and the City Council of Chicago for historic sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, archite ...

in 1982. All Saints is currently an active church, and is most well known for its community outreach programs that include a food pantry and events that attract all members of its neighborhood.

History

The church was designed by architect

John C. Cochrane John Crombie Cochrane (1835–1887) was a prominent architect in the 19th century practicing in Chicago, Illinois. He formed Cochrane and Garnsey with George O. Garnsey. He began work in Davenport, Iowa in 1856, moving to St. Louis in 1858 aft ...

and built in 1883 at the corner of Wilson and Hermitage Avenues. Previously, the congregation gathered in a nearby Methodist church. The building was created in stick style as shown by the use of vertical beams and decorative shingles and continues to be a rare example of stick style architecture in the city, in addition to being Chicago's oldest wood-frame church. Wood was likely used because other available materials, such as stone, were too expensive. Furthermore, the church's location was outside of Chicago's city limits, where wood construction was not permitted after the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

in 1871. The stained glass windows were originally designed by the

Healy & Millet Louis J. Millet was an educator, industrial art school founder, and interior designer in the United States. He was a celebrated stained glass artist. He worked on Louis Sullivan and George W. Maher projects and went into business with portraitist ...

firm. John Hulla designed the adjoining

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

in 1905 in a

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

style. The congregation intended to demolish and replace the sanctuary in the early 1900s, however the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

stalled their plan. The church community flourished through the 1950s but in 1960, attendance began to dwindle and by 1992, the church was in danger of being shuttered. despite being declared a city landmark only ten-years earlier. At that time, the congregation's membership was reported to be only about 30, but increased interest and attendance since 1992 prevented the closure of the church. The church's attendance has continued to grow, and some sources have noted that All Saints could be considered the "fastest growing Episcopal congregation in Chicago." In 1992, a renovation plan for the church began and was completed in 2016 with a $2 million renovation plan to address structural issues with the church and restore its exterior design. The church was recognized with the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award in 2017.

Church and community services

The church offers several morning services on Sundays which either follow a low church or broad church format. In addition, the church partners with Ravenswood Community Services (RCS) to provide outreach and aid to disadvantaged members of the community. The church kitchen operates a weekly food pantry with the help of volunteers from both RCS and the congregation, and has sometimes catered to as many as 400 individuals in one night.

Special events

All Saints has been noted for some events that deviate from typical Sunday services. One such special service in the Fall is an annual '' pet blessing'', where members of the congregation are invited to bring their pets to church to receive blessings. In 2010, the service included 74 dogs, 13 cats, one rabbit, one lizard, and several other animals. The

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead ( es, Día de Muertos or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely obser ...

is celebrated along with

All Saints' Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are know ...

in a single service. A New Orleans-style brass band is invited to process into the church and accompanies the choir during this service.

References in literature

Poet

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

was believed to be one of early congregants of All Saints. One of his poems, entitled ''Onion Days'', describes a

produce Produce is a generalized term for many farm-produced crops, including fruits and vegetables (grains, oats, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fresh and g ...

seller named Jasper in the following manner: :''Jasper belongs to an Episcopal church in Ravenswood and on certain Sundays :''He enjoys chanting the

Nicene Creed The original Nicene Creed (; grc-gre, Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας; la, Symbolum Nicaenum) was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople. The amended form is a ...

with his daughters on each side of him joining their voices with his.'' Sandberg is thought to be referring to All Saints in this particular passage, as it was the only Episcopal church in Ravenswood.

References

External links

* {{Chicago Landmark places of worship 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Chicago Landmarks Churches in Chicago Churches completed in 1883