The First Congregational Church

In 1928, with the old church operating at capacity, the of Des Plaines broke ground for a new, far larger facility one block away, at the corner of Graceland & Marion Streets.

The new church would be designed by the prominent Chicago architectural firm of Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Brothers Irving K. & Allen B. Pond were nationally noted progressive architects; Irving, the elder brother, started his career working under William LeBaron Jenney, father of the American skyscraper, and Solon S. Beman. In contrast to more famed progressive architects of the era like Frank Lloyd Wright, Pond & Pond broke with architectural traditions by simplifying their geometries and by emphasizing the qualities of their materials. Later they partnered with Martin & Lloyd, another pair of architects including Edgar Martin formerly of the noted Schmidt, Garden, & Martin firm. Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd had designed the now-demolished Oehler Funeral Home in Des Plaines in 1928, and Martin would design the Immanuel Lutheran Gymnasium on Lee Street in 1930.

The firm designed virtually all their buildings in their own interpretation of the Arts & Crafts style, with influences of Tudor Revival, Gothic Revival, and later Art Deco. The emphasis on geometries is very clear at First Congregational; the large sanctuary to the left includes a large gable and soaring limestone towers, while the school and community rooms to the right are horizontal and squared; the two parts are separated by a blocky tower. While the ornament is simplified, it is still there, particularly in the stained glass windows throughout the building with a colored grid pattern.

The new building would have ample facilities for the growing congregation. The sanctuary, with a balcony and a pipe organ, would seat up to 750. The building also included a large auditorium (now known as Webster hall) with a balcony seating up to 1000 as well as a kitchen. The building included three chapels. The Loesch chapel was adjacent to the sanctuary and included its own organ, and could be opened onto the sanctuary for additional seating. This was later converted into church offices. The Junior (Renamed Loesch after the former Loesch chapel was converted) and Intermediate chapels were located above Webster Hall and are used for Sunday School; the building also included many Sunday School classrooms, and more were later added.

The church had to grow considerably to make the leap from the old church to the new, and an aggressive membership drive nearly doubled the membership of the church. Following the last service at the old church on October 27, 1929, a procession carried the candle flame from the old building to the new altar. While the Great Depression hit hard and the church struggled to pay for the new building, it continued to serve its community both spiritually and through dinners and entertainment held in the auditorium.

The church has remained much the same from its building to present day, with only minor alterations to meet new needs, such as additional Sunday school rooms, moving offices, landscaping, and paint. In 1947,  a narrative stained glass chancel window, titled "The Life of Christ", and a redodo inscribed with Mark 12:30, both by Chicago artist Edgar Miller  were added and the sanctuary was redecorated. In 1956-1957, when a small addition was created to add a full music room, Webster Hall was remodeled with paneling, an acoustical ceiling, and new flooring, lighting, and sound by architect Louis Heubner. Finally, in 1989 an addition to the back created a new wheelchair-accessible entrance.