St. Vincent DePaul Church

St Vincent de Paul Church was organized on the north side of Chicago in 1875, on the corner of Webster and Sheffield.  A two story brick church was dedicated in April of 1876.  The church membership grew, and in 1892, plans were drawn for a new church.  The church was not finished until 1895, due to the economic depression.  The church was built in the French Romanesque style, and was designed by architect James Egan.

In 1946, John Mallin was hired to redecorate the church by Rev. John Overberg.  Mallin’s bank records indicate he was paid $20,000 for the decorations.   In 1955, a fire in the church during a Sunday mass caused $240,000 worth of damage and destroyed a large portion of the church.  The congregation was able to raise funds to rebuild the interior of the church.  The Mallin decorations that still exist include the sanctuary ceiling, and the four mural paintings on each side of the sanctuary.  The decorations in the remaining parts of the church were probably destroyed by the fire.

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.

Open Carnival of St. Vincent’s Church Today.  Fete on De Paul Campus to Aid Decorating.  Chicago Tribune Newspaper.Aug 18, 1946