First Presbyterian Church (Chicago)

The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago
The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago is located in Chicago metropolitan area
The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago
The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago
LocationWoodlawn, Chicago, Illinois
DenominationPresbyterian Church (USA)
Websitechicagofirstchurch.org
History
StatusChurch
FoundedJune 26, 1833
Relics heldWooden beam from the original Fort Dearborn
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Thomas Tallmadge & Vernon S. Watson
Architectural typeGothic Revival
Administration
PresbyteryPresbytery of Chicago
ParishWoodlawn
Clergy
Pastor(s)Rev. David J. Black
Laity
Session clerkWillie Rochelle Haywood

The First Presbyterian Church (Chicago) is the first Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is arguably the first church organized in Chicago.[1] It is the oldest continuously operating institution in Chicago, predating by two months the founding of Chicago as a town.[2] The first public school and first Head Start programs in the region were started in its buildings. Early members of the church included Chicago's first pharmacist and Chicago's first public school teacher, as well as the founders of the first regional abolitionist society.[3]

The church building is a Gothic Revival cathedral built at 6400 S Kimbark Ave in 1927.[3]

  1. ^ Barrows, John (1883). 1833–1883: An Account of the Fiftieth Celebration of the First Presbyterian Church. Chicago: Beach, Barnard & Co. p. 18.
  2. ^ Barrows, John (1883). 1833–1883: An Account of the Fiftieth Celebration of the First Presbyterian Church. Beach, Barnard & Co. p. 19.
  3. ^ a b "History of our Church".