“Our Lady of Lourdes Church will soon close, and it could be demolished.

“But not if Preservation Chicago and other organizations succeed in saving the 125-year-old church and its parishioners’ efforts.

“Our Lady of Lourdes Church has been serving the neighborhoods of Andersonville, Ravenswood, and Uptown for 125 years, but now it’s in jeopardy of being demolished.

“‘It is a magnificent, historically and architecturally significant church,’ said church advocate Julie Sawacki.

“The church held its first Mass in October of 1892 on the southwest corner of Ashland and Leland Avenues.

“In 1929, a team of 50 men and horses lifted the 10,000-ton church from its foundation, rolling on 400 tons of rails, and moved it across the street. ‘Imagine tearing something so significant down,’ Sawacki said.

“The Archdiocese of Chicago said attendance at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Sunday Masses has steadily dropped. It said the church needs more than $2 million in immediate repairs, and there’s no viable plan to raise that amount of money and maintain the church. (Gray, CBS 2 Chicago, 5/8/24)

“The parish merged with Buena Park’s St. Mary of the Lake in 2021 as part of the Catholic Church’s effort to consolidate church resources. Since then, Our Lady of Lourdes’ school building has been sold to developer Honore Properties, who will turn the building into 42 apartments.” (Padar, Block Club Chicago, 2/21/24)

“‘We’ve seen time and time again, remarkable religious buildings sold to the highest bidder and often times undermined and demolished,’ said Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, which is supporting the parishioners. ‘We have to save these kinds of buildings, honor their stories and honor the communities and people that built them.’

“If organizers can landmark and buy the church, they plan to reopen it as a historical shrine, said Maricelle Garcia, vice president of Our Lady of Lourdes Preservation Society. They would also restore the church’s community programs, like its food pantry and immigrant services, and would convert the rectory into a bed and breakfast to fund maintenance, Garcia said.

“The group is already working with a few donors and plans to continue fundraising so it can create an endowment to preserve the church.

“‘We’ve been told that we need to find ways to sustain this financially, and we can do it through our donors, income-generating projects and through our fundraising,’ Garcia said.

“Organizers are asking neighbors to reach out to Ald. Matt Martin (47th) to ask him to request a landmark designation for Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

“Martin is ‘receptive to preservation goals’ and working to facilitate a conversation between the nonprofit and the archdiocese, said Lucy Nye, director of developmental and business affairs at the 47th Ward office. The alderman is also speaking with preservationists to ‘make sure they understand what they would need to be able to purchase the building from the Archdiocese and maintain the building for the long,’ Nye said.

“‘Ald. Martin supports the preservation of Our Lady of Lourdes church building,’ Nye said in a statement. ‘Our priority is to ensure that the building is put to productive use to guarantee that the structure is cared for and maintained in the long term, which requires adequate funding and organization.’ (Padar, Block Club Chicago, 3/9/24)

Read the full story at Block Club Chicago

• As Uptown’s Our Lady Of Lourdes Church Set To Close, Neighbors Hope To Landmark, Buy Church; The century-old church will host its last Mass May 19. With its future uncertain, parishioners hope to buy the campus and restore its social services., Kayleigh Padar, Block Club Chicago, 3/9/24
•  Parishioners and preservationists fight to save 125-year-old Chicago church, Shardaa Gray, CBS 2 Chicago, 5/8/24
• Group fights to designate Our Lady of Lourdes Church as historic landmark in Uptown, John Garcia, ABC 7 Chicago, 5/8/24
• Final Mass at historic Uptown Catholic church is Sunday, as parishioners still trying to rescue building, Michael Johnson & Brónagh Tumulty, WGN 9 Chicago, 5/19/24
• Uptown’s Our Lady Of Lourdes Church To Close In May As School Building Set To Become Apartments; Some congregants hope the 132-year-old parish and its iconic grotto can be granted landmark status, saving it from demolition after its closure in May, Kayleigh Padar, Block Club Chicago, 2/21/24
• PETITION to Landmark Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Grotto and Rectory in Chicago
• Our Lady of Lourdes Preservation Society-Chicago Facebook