Saint Michael’s Church in Old Town
St. Michael’s parish was founded in 1852 to accommodate a growing German immigrant population when German-born brewer Michael Diversey donated land for the building of the original wooden church to the new parish. Now shepherded by the Redemptorist Order, the present 200-foot long church was dedicated in 1869. While the 1871 Great Chicago Fire ravaged the roof and inner structure, the locally sourced red sandstone brick exterior remained standing, and was fully restored by 1873. In 1888 the bell tower was completed; at 280 feet, it was one of the tallest structures in Chicago. Today, St. Mike’s serves more than 675 families in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood with daily services and community events.
About Saint Michael’s Catholic Church
Dates Active: 1852-Present
Congregation: Roman Catholic
Order: Redemptorist
Architect(s): August Walbaum (1869), Hermann J. Gaunt (1913)
Photography: Christopher Allison Annika Khort (2024)
For further research: St. Michael’s
Click below to see our in-progress interactive historical tour of Saint Michael’s Catholic Church.
View some still images of the space below.
