“The Commission on Chicago Landmarks has approved the final landmark recommendation for St. Paul Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E) Church at 4644 S. Dearborn. Established in 1907, St. Paul Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church is the oldest C.M.E. congregation in the city of Chicago. The church is the congregation’s first and only dedicated house of worship. It was constructed in two phases, in 1917 and 1925, in the Tudor Revival style.
“Meeting Criterion 1 for its heritage, the St. Paul Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church is significant as the first and oldest congregation of the C.M.E. denomination in the City of Chicago. The denomination was founded by people recently freed from slavery in the southern states, including Bishop Isaac Lane, who co-established the St. Paul congregation in 1907.
“The building was constructed in 1917 to host the 1918 General Conference of the C.M.E. Church, which was the first in the history of the C.M.E. denomination to be held north of the Mason-Dixon Line. At the conference, the construction of St. Paul C.M.E. Church represented the spread of the church northward following Reconstruction in the south and the fledging movement of the Great Migration.
“The St. Paul C.M.E. Church has served as a stable and enduring presence in the Grand Boulevard Community Area and Bronzeville neighborhood for over a century. The congregation has served as an anchor, as the community experienced shifts in demographics, socioeconomics, and the built environment. Through its mission work, the church has extended beyond its boundaries of religious affiliation to become a devoted pillar to the broader community.
“Also meeting Criterion 5 as the work of a significant architect, the St Paul C.M.E. Church was designed by Ecklund, Fugard & Knapp, an architectural firm that only practiced for three years. In that short time, they designed many notable buildings in the city, including multiple Methodist churches and the development of many apartment buildings in the Streeterville neighborhood.
“The building represents the early work of prolific Chicago architect John Reed Fugard, Sr. Over a six-decade career, Fugard worked on some of the city’s most recognizable buildings, including the Moody Memorial Church, Trustees System Service Building, and the Jeweler’s Building.
“With the final landmark recommendation approved, the proposed designation will head to City Hall to get final approvals from the Committee on Zoning and City Council. If approved, the landmark designation will protect all exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the building. The education wing will be specifically excluded from the designation.” (Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 3/8/26)