A Teardown of Biblical Proportions

In 1873, the First Congregational Church of Western Springs was formed. Initially, services were held in the village’s first schoolhouse and, later, at the Grand Avenue School. However, the church members eventually raised sufficient funds to build a small frame church on Grand Avenue, directly north of Grand Avenue School. In 1895, the church was dedicated with a membership of 98. First photo.

The building served its members well but, by the early 1920’s, membership had grown to more than 300. As a result, the Board of Trustee’s began planning for a larger edifice and purchased eight lots on Chestnut between Woodland and Central. In 1929, the beautiful Lannon stone church was dedicated with a membership that had grown to 550. Second photo.

The former church building stood vacant for some time. But, in 1938, it was purchased by the Christian Reformed Church, which consisted of just 13 families. And, just like the Congregational Church before it, the church’s membership increased, making it necessary to build a larger structure.

In 1959, the Christian Reformed Church dedicated its new building at 52nd and Wolf Road. And, in that same year, the old church was sold to School District 101. It would be used as a gymnasium for Grand Avenue School students until 1965. By then, the School District had built a modern gymnasium just east of the Grand Avenue School.

But what would become of the frame church building dating back to 1895?

The School District needed the land on which it was located for additional playground space. So, it offered the building free of charge to anyone who would move the structure elsewhere. Among the proposals were to relocate the structure to Springrock Park for use as an historical museum. But, there were no takers due to the high cost of moving the building. In July 1965, the bulldozers arrived and so ended another chapter in Western Springs history. Third & Fourth photos.

Photos:

Original Church - circa 1928

First Congregational Church - circa 1929

Demolition Commences - July 1965

Demolition with Grand Avenue School in Background

Each week, the Western Springs Historical Society presents a “Blast from the Past”. To view prior stories, visit us at www.westernspringshistory.org or just click on the author’s name shown above