Presentation Church

Project Name
Presentation Church

Location
758 S. Springfield Avenue
Chicago, Illinois

Project Status
Church was torn down

Project Date/s
Uncertain; probably 1948

​Presentation church was established on the west side of Chicago in 1898 to serve Irish Catholic families.  In 1898 ground was broken for a two story combination church and school at 740 S. Springfield.  The building was completed and dedicated on Feb 12, 1899.  Membership in the church increased so rapidly that ground was broken for a new church on the west side of Springfield Ave, on Oct 19, 1902.  The church was designed by architect William F. Gubbins, to be built in the Spanish Romanesque style of architecture, 80 X 145 high.  Work on the church continued until it was completed in Aug of 1909.   By the time of the new church’s silver jubilee in June 1923, there were 1,368 families in the congregation and 1,100 children enrolled in the school.

In 1934, Father Francis O. McCarthy was named pastor of the church.  Father McCarthy hired John Mallin to decorate the church, the year unknown.   However, the parish’s golden jubilee was celebrated in October of 1948, and all of the parish buildings were completely renovated.   It is likely that Mallin was hired to redecorate the church for the Golden Jubilee.

In the 1950s the neighborhood became predominantly African American, and the church membership declined to 700 families by 1959.   Due to deteriorating conditions, the church closed around 1981.  The parishioners worshiped in other parish buildings and the church was later torn down.

References.

A History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago Volume 1. Msgr. Harry C. Koenig, S.T.D., editor. The Archdiocese of Chicago, Chicago, 1980.

Lane G, and Kezys A.  Chicago Churches and Synagogues.  Loyola University Press. Chicago, 1981.

The American Architect and Building News, Feb. 17, 1906.