Christ Church, Detroit

Christ Church was the second Episcopal church built in Detroit after St. Paul's proved to be too small to house its congregation. The church came into existence on May 26, 1845. The articles of association were signed by sixty-seven people. On May 31, 1846, the new church building was consecrated. The first rector was William N. Lyster, born in Wexford County, Ireland, March 5, 1805. He entered Trinity College, Dublin, in 1822 and graduated in 1826. He continued his theological studies at the University of Edinburgh, and in 1829 he came to Michigan to devote himself to missionary work. Lyster served as rector of Christ Church until 1849. He was an outstanding personality among the early clergy in Michigan. He built the church at Tecumseh and was pastor at Cambridge and Brooklyn, Michigan, for twenty-five years. The original church, constructed of wood, was torn down after the stone chapel was begun in 1860 directly adjacent to the den structure. The chapel was completed in 1861. The present structure, added to the chapel, was begun and on April 9, 1~, the new church was cons~ ted. Work on the church tower was continued, and in October of 1864 nine bells were placed in the tower as gifts from several prominent families and church organizations. Christ church is the oldest Protestant church in Detroit still located at its original site. The church building as we know it today was completed about 1880. Christ Church is not only a refuge for those who come to pray but also a dynamic force in serving the social and physical needs of the community. For years Christ Church has provided aid to the disadvantaged. As early as 1903 it was operating a cooking school for girls, a manual training center for boys, a gymnasium, and a lecture hall. Today, church facilities are used by more than forty organizations for meetings and social gatherings. Fine art groups, civic action organizations, and several forums meet at the church regularly. Christ Church was studied by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1934. The survey states that the church displayed 'excellence in design for the period' and that it is Gordon W. Lloyd's 'best church in Michigan.'

The second society of this denomination was organized May 26, 1845. That same year a frame church was constructed and was consecrated May 31, 1846. On October 19, 1860, the cornerstone was laid for a chapel in the rear of the lot. The old frame building was torn down, and the permanent edifice was erected. The chapel was consecrated April 9, 1863. Gordon W. Lloyd of Detroit was the architect of the Victorian Gothic church built in the shape of a Latin cross. The church constructed of limestone ashlar, while the trim is of sandstone, lending a striking contrast of color and The hipped gable roof is covered with slate shingles. ont of the church, providing the most illumination, facade window twenty-four feet high and seventeen feet wide. The window was temporary until the permanent window, portraying the life of Christ, was installed in the spring of 1970. On the ~t, lending balance to the facade, are two crocketed pinnacles crowning the buttresses. To the right is a four-stage tower with aQ_arcade belfry and a Germanic wedge-shaped roof. The principle entrance is in the tower, although there are several doors giving access to the galleries and all other parts of the church. A spacious vestibule gives access to the body of the church, which contains, in the nave, two block$ of pews divided by a wide center and two side aisles. The tran~ epts occupy the width of two bays on either side, each containing a gallery.