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Christ Church

GeotaggedNational Register
Christ Church Grosse Pte, Grosse Pointe Farms, Wayne County, MI #1

Historic Photo from NRHP Filing

Christ Church Grosse Pte, Grosse Pointe Farms, Wayne County, MI #1

National Register of Historic Places Filing

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Local SignificanceArchitectureArt1928-1955

Christ Church Grosse Pointe (Episcopal), designed by the firm of Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Associates, stands as an excellent example of Neo-Gothic ecclesiastical architecture based loosely on English Gothic precedents. Although it was originally designed to be the chapel to a much larger edifice, Christ Church Grosse Pointe as completed in 1930 stands as an architectural treasure in its own right. High architectural and artistic values were integrated into the church's design; stained glass by H.L. Willet, DeRaniere Studios of Detroit, and Detroit Stained Glass Co. and the fine wood carving of the reredos by Mowbray & Co., Ltd. of London and the rood beam and other furnishings by J.

Jungwirth Co. and Pom-McFate Co. of Detroit exemplify this striving towards harmony of arts and crafts and architecture. Miller Hall (1941) and the rectory (1938) harmonize with the church edifice through their English Cottage and Neo-Tudor styles. The Education Building (1955), designed to complement the church's other more traditional buildings, possesses exceptional significance as the work of the internationally known architect, Minoru Yamasaki.

Physical Description

Christ Church Grosse Pointe is a Modern Gothic ecclesiastical structure comprised of the church proper with an attached two-story office/instructional wing and a cloister now enclosed. In plan, the church is a Latin cross with a fifty foot high tower at its northeast corner. It was faced with sandstone quarried in Clearville, Pa., selected because of its iridescence in sunlight. The pitched roof with cross gables over the transepts are covered with graduated slate with copper ridges and a copper spire.

Stained glass windows by Willet & Sons of Philadelphia, DeRaniere Studios of Detroit and Detroit Stained Glass Co. add to the medieval character of the building, as do the wood truss roof, wooden carving, and flagstone floors of the sanctuary. Ancillary buildings to the rear of the church are situated around the perimeter of the parking lot: they are the International style Education Building of brick, glass and steel; Miller Hall, of stucco and half timbering, and the Rectory, of stucco, brick and stone, the latter two in the Tudor Revival style. All of the church's facilities are in excellent condition and mostly unaltered.

Architect/Builder

Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Associates; Corrick Bros., builders; Walter Dole, architect; H.H. Micou, contractor, Minoru Yamasaki, architect

NRHP Ref# 93000424 • Data from National Park Service • Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0

Historic Photos

(3)

Sourced from the National Register of Historic Places filing

Christ Church—Christ Church Grosse Pte, Grosse Pointe Farms, Wayne County, MI #1

Public Domain (Michigan Filing)

Building Details

Architect
Bertram G. Goodhue Associates
Year Built
1930
Address
Christ Church Lane at Grosse Pointe Blvd.
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Building Type
church
National Register
Listed
Ref# 93000424
See more by Bertram G. Goodhue Associates