“Greater Union Baptist Church has one of the city’s most breathtaking sanctuaries, with its semicircular ranks of pews that sit beneath muscular, richly-detailed hammer beam wooden ceiling trusses and bronze chandeliers.

“The church, 1956 W. Warren Blvd., is just north of the routinely packed-out United Center, next to the stadium’s parking lot B.

“Built for a congregation of 600, the church has about 40 members now, said the Rev. Walter Arthur McCray, Greater Union’s pastor.

“‘The church has not been able to meet and open our doors,’ he said. ‘We have been more cash-strapped than we have been. We are struggling, but we are faithful.’

“But the church, a protected city landmark since 2023, is on the north edge of the area covered by The 1901 Project, the United Center owners’ $7 billion plan to convert the acres of parking lots around the stadium into a new community of residential, retail, park space and entertainment.

“Since much of the neighborhood that once supported Greater Union was wiped away by years of callous demolition — and in more recent decades, residences closest to the stadium were bulldozed to create parking — it would be only fitting that the historic church somehow benefit from the new neighborhood that will rise around it.

“Built in 1886 as Church of the Redeemer, Second Universalist, the building was designed by pioneering architect William Le Baron Jenney.

“Jenney’s 10-story Home Insurance Building from 1885 — that once stood at 125 S. LaSalle St. — is credited with being the world’s first tall structure built with a steel frame, earning him the moniker ‘father of the skyscraper.’

“The real treat is the expansive, column-free worship space perched on the church’s second floor.

“In addition to the trussed ceiling and curved seating, the sanctuary’s other significant features include a trio of large, colorful stained glass windows designed by the Chicago studio McCully & Miles: the Sower, the Madonna and Charity.

“Greater Union completed $750,000 in exterior masonry repairs this year, funded by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development’s Adopt-a-Landmark program.

“‘The chimneys were rebuilt, the terra cotta [and brick were] repointed and whole bunch of other technical things were done,’ McCray said.

“McCray wants to look at the church’s interior next. In addition to sorting out the HVAC problems, other work he wants to tackle includes making the building more accessible and restoring the stained glass windows.

“‘They are major,’ he said. ‘And we’re talking about upwards of $250,000, $300,000 or more.’

“Still, in a city where old churches are always subject to decay and demolition — especially as of late — it’s within the public good to help this important building hang on, especially as the neighborhood around it gets redeveloped.” (Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 5/3/26)

Preservation Chicago strongly supported the Chicago Landmark Designation of Greater Union Baptist Church. For over seven years, Preservation Chicago worked with the Greater Union Baptist Congregation, Board of Directors, and both Pastor Dr. McCray and former pastor Willie Morris towards the designation of the church as a Chicago Landmark.

We conducted an oral history project of the Pastor and many of the longtime members of the Congregation as part of the documentation of the church as part of the Chicago Landmark Designation.

Additionally, Preservation Chicago played a significant role in the preparation of the Adopt-a-Landmark application which generated a $750k restoration grant.

Read the full story at Chicago Sun-Times

• Could United Center redevelopment effort help a church designed by the ‘father of the skyscraper’ rise again? Struggling Greater Union Baptist Church sits on the north edge of the area targeted in a $7 billion plan to convert acres of parking lots around the United Center into residential, retail, park space and entertainment, Lee Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 5/3/26
• Near West Side’s Greater Union Baptist Church Is A Chicago Landmark; The church, which dates back to 1886, has promoted civil rights and progressive policies throughout its history, Trey Arline, Block Club Chicago, 4/19/23
• Landmark status for historic West Side church should be first step of many to preserve houses of worship; Greater Union Baptist Church is poised for landmarks designation and a reminder of the need to preserve the city’s old and architecturally noteworthy worship spaces, Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 1/11/23
• Preliminary landmark approved for Greater Union Baptist Church; The church stands near the United Center at 1956 W. Warren, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 1/4/23