“Bronzeville’s Corpus Christi Church faced an uncertain future when it was closed by Catholic officials three summers ago. Now the vacated, century-old Italian Renaissance Revival edifice might be headed toward some type of resurrection.
“Andy Schcolnik, a longtime Chicago property owner who heads Ansco Construction, bought the church, at 4920 S. King Dr., in April from the Chicago Roman Catholic Archdiocese.
“The purchase also includes a school and a two-building rectory that are also currently vacant. Neither Schcolnik nor the archdiocese would disclose the sales price, but the buildings together had been listed for $1.7 million.
“It’ll take a careful hand and no doubt a lot of money to do it correctly, but the old parish — restored, reused, reinvigorated — would be a huge win for Bronzeville and the city. And it would also show there can be a future (other than demolition) for Chicago’s growing inventory of disused houses of worship.
“Erected in 1916, Corpus Christi was designed by Joseph W. McCarthy, an architect responsible for at least three dozen Catholic churches, hospitals and other buildings in the region.
“At Corpus Christi, McCarthy designed a grand Bedford limestone church with enough gravitas to complement the wide boulevard on which it sits, even after the buildings’ twin bell towers were lopped off in 2004.
“The worship space inside Corpus Christi included bright, stained-glass windows designed by Munich’s master, F.X. Zettler, and a vaultlike ceiling punctuated by nearly 600 octagonal coffers.
“Corpus Christi was closed in June 2021 as part of the archdiocese’s ongoing Renew My Church parish consolidation program. The church’s predominantly Black congregation had 3,000 weekly worshipers between the 1930s and the 1950s. In recent years, attendance dwindled to about 200, prompting the closing of the historic church, which is located in one of the city’s most storied neighborhoods.
“Preservation Chicago Executive Director Ward Miller said his organization encouraged Schcolnik to buy the Corpus Christi complex.
“‘This amazing structure was facing … possible demolition as an outcome, without Andy’s commitment,’ Miller said, adding he hopes the church could be converted into an arts venue.
“Schcolnik said he could envision townhouses within the cloister along King Drive and converting the former school into rental apartments.
“‘Without butchering it, you can make some changes on the inside [of the buildings], but the facade — like the rectory facade onto Martin Luther King — is beautiful,’ Schcolnik said. ‘Easily. You could turn it into townhouses without destroying that facade.’
“Schcolnik said he wants the campus preserved, and is looking to resell the properties — or just sell off the church to a new congregation and redevelop the remaining buildings himself.
“Is demolition an option? ‘No, I don’t tear things down,’ he said. ‘That’s not in my DNA.'” (Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 7/5/24)
Preservation Chicago is thrilled that Andy Schcolnik is purchasing Corpus Christi Church. Since it was closed in 2012, we have been actively advocating for a preservation solution. Ward Miller has been in very close and regular communication with the developer regarding this property and other endangered south-side buildings, including Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church and the long-endangered Frank Lloyd Wright Waller Rowhouse at 2846 W. Walnut Street. We’ve worked very closely with Andy Schcolnik for decades and are thrilled that such a good steward is rescuing these significant historic buildings. We will continue to support him and the restoration of these buildings for as long as it takes.
Read the full story at Crain’s Chicago Business