St. Theresa of Avila Roman Catholic Parish Complex

St. Theresa of Avila Parish is architecturally significant as an excellent example of a Catholic parish plant of the period 1915 to 1938, centered on the magnificent Neo-Romanesque church of 1924-27. The parish plant reflects the exceptional rate of growth of Detroit in the period, when the burgeoning auto industry caused the city to expand in exponential terms. The parish history also reflects the maturation of the Irish-American community of Detroit, whose prosperity is reflected in the impressive buildings built by an overwhelmingly Irish parish.

The parish plant of St. Theresa of Avila occupies the nearly triangular block bounded by Pingree, Quincy, Blaine, and Radford Avenues, just north of Grand River Avenue, one of Detroit's great diagonal thoroughfares. All the buildings are on this block except for the convent, which stands on the opposite side of Pingree south of the school; the school lies along Radford at the north end of the site, and the rectory lies between the school and church facing Quincy. The church faces generally south, toward the point of the triangle and toward Grand River. There is a boiler house, virtually invisible from the street, enclosed in the center of the church, school and rectory. All the buildings are of dark red tapestry brick trimmed with Indiana limestone, and all share the generally Neo-Romanesque character of the dominant structure, the magnificent basilican church. The twin-towered facade of the church is the great landmark of the area, rising above the surrounding buildings and visible to passing traffic on Grand River facing down Quincy from its location on the point of the block-- one of Detroit's great urban glimpses.