  Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2634 Registered: 10-2003 |
Downtown Historic Churches Tour 2007, Saturday, December 29, 10am Sponsored by the Downtown Historic Churches Association and hosted by Historic Trinity Lutheran, this annual historic churches tour features a morning tour of Historic Trinity Lutheran followed by lunch and then an afternoon bus tour of 4 additional churches. There are three tour groups, one of which must be selected when making your reservation: Tour A: St. Charles Borromeo Catholic, Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian, St. John Episcopal, and St. Joseph Catholic; Tour B: Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic, First Congregational, St. Albertus Catholic, and Central United Methodist; and Tour C: Mariners, Holy Trinity Catholic, Second Baptist, and St. Josaphat. Buses leave Historic Trinity Lutheran at 12 noon and return at 4:15. Secure parking is provided. Tickets are $20; payment by check or credit card. Call 313-567-3100 or fax 313-567-3209 or use the form at: https://www.historictrinityinc .org/dhcatour.html | ||
Spidergirl Member Username: Spidergirl Post Number: 321 Registered: 12-2004 |
Kathleen, thanks for posting. My mom works at the Lutheran Church back home and receives the newsletter from Trinity. She's always wanted to see it. I will pass the information on! | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 4192 Registered: 10-2003 |
I would highly recommend anybody that has not seen these places go on this tour. I had a class at CCS where we went to a different one each week to study the architecture. We were even able to get into Churches that had been closed for some time. Absolutely amazing, WELL worth the $20. I paid a lot more than that! (sob) | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 4193 Registered: 10-2003 |
By the way, I heard my teacher for that class, Dr. Dorothy, passed some some years ago. A great loss for the city, that woman loved it deeply. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4151 Registered: 02-2005 |
I think it's great to put the churches on display all at once like that, but I'd much rather look at them individually and go to services at each one. It's a much better way to appreciate the space (and its acoustics if you're into that)...and it's free. Surprised that there's no Old St. Mary or St. Aloysius. Enjoy the tour, though. | ||
Papermoon Member Username: Papermoon Post Number: 22 Registered: 08-2007 |
Looking forward to it - I mailed in my form a few days ago for Tour A. Also going on the Boston-Edison home tour this Sunday. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2637 Registered: 10-2003 |
Hey Papermoon!! I'm doing both tours as well. 1:20 Sunday for Boston Edison. Tour A for the Churches. Mackinaw: Agreed that it is highly desirable to visit and enjoy each church individually during services, and I've visited dozens of churches that way. Unfortunately, many of the older churches are on a tight budget these days, and so turn out lights within minutes of the end of the service, making photos difficult. Plus on these tours you often get some of the behind the scenes looks that a visitor attending services misses. Hence this is a great option, especially at Christmas to see the churches decorated for the season. | ||
Papermoon Member Username: Papermoon Post Number: 24 Registered: 08-2007 |
Kathleen, 3:40 for me for the B-E tour. I'll be looking for you on tour A! Papermoon | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2638 Registered: 10-2003 |
Terrific!! I'll try to remember to wear my DetroitYes badge. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4152 Registered: 02-2005 |
Good points, Kathleen. | ||
Gingellgirl Member Username: Gingellgirl Post Number: 96 Registered: 04-2007 |
Thanks for the tip. I'll be on Tour B. | ||
Onthe405 Member Username: Onthe405 Post Number: 11 Registered: 11-2007 |
Although it's not part of this particular downtown church tour (not sure why), I would also recommend historic Christ Church Detroit--located on Jefferson just a couple blocks east of RenCen. It houses the largest stained glass window in the state of MI. While visiting Detroit (from CA) at Easter, I attended services there. Great music & a very welcoming, inclusive, diverse group of parishioners amongst a beautiful nave. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2640 Registered: 10-2003 |
Christ Church doesn't happen to be on the tour this year, but they are a member of the Downtown Historic Churches Association per this list from the webpage hosted by Historic Trinity (http://www.historictrinityinc. org/dhcamembers.html): The Downtown Historic Churches Association of Detroit meets periodically. A tour of member churches takes place the last Saturday of the year and is a day-long event. For additional information, email Historic Trinity, Inc. Member churches are: Cathedral Church of St. Paul 4800 Woodward Avenue Detroit MI 48201 Central United Methodist 23 East Adams Detroit MI 48226 Christ Church 960 E. Jefferson Avenue Detroit MI 48207 First Congregational 33 E. Forest Detroit MI 48201 Fort Street Presbyterian 631 W. Fort Street Detroit MI 48226 Historic Trinity Lutheran Church 1345 Gratiot Avenue Detroit MI 48207 Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church 8625 East Jefferson Detroit MI 48214 Mariners Church 170 E. Jefferson Detroit MI 48226 Metropolitan Methodist 8000 Woodward Detroit MI 48202 Most Holy Trinity 1050 Porter Detroit MI 48226 Old St. Mary's 646 Monroe Street Detroit MI 48226 Plymouth United Church of Christ 600 E. Warren Avenue Detroit MI 48201 Second Baptist Church 441 Monroe Avenue Detroit MI 48226 St. Aloysuis Church 1234 Washington Boulevard Detroit MI 482286 St. Anne Catholic 1000 St. Anne Street Detroit MI 48216 St. Charles Catholic Church 1491 Baldwin Detroit MI 48226 St. John's Episcopal 50 E. Fisher Freeway Detroit MI 48201 St. Joseph Church 1828 Jay Street Detroit MI 48207 Sts. Peter & Paul Jesuit Church 629 E. Jefferson Detroit MI 48226 Sweetest Heart of Mary 4800 Russell Detroit MI 48201 Only 12 churches plus Historic Trinity are on the tours each year. Not sure how they alternate year to year, or if they do. | ||
Onthe405 Member Username: Onthe405 Post Number: 12 Registered: 11-2007 |
Thanks so much Kathleen. This gives me a great resource & list to work from for future trips to the Detroit area. In the past 5 years or so, I have become quite a church architecture/history aficionado, and act as a docent of sorts for my home parish, chartered in 1897. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2641 Registered: 10-2003 |
On the subject of Christ Church Episcopal at E. Jefferson and I-75, this Freep article in today's paper discusses the recently completed renovations there: Updating the Detroit classics: Church shows how to mesh old, new "Sometimes the most appropriate new building for downtown Detroit's renovation is an old building that's already there. Consider Christ Church on Jefferson Avenue just east of the Renaissance Center. It is the oldest Protestant church in Michigan still at its original location. The grounds include five separate buildings constructed from the 1840s to the mid-20th Century, including the 1840s-era Sibley House and the Gothic-inspired church from the 1860s designed by architect Gordon Lloyd. With so many pieces added over the years, it's no surprise that the different elements didn't mesh so well, said David Coleman, head of the church's building committee. There were constricted passageways, cramped entrances and awkward changes in level because of the sloping terrain from Jefferson down to the river. But the congregation never gave a single thought to moving somewhere else. Instead, it raised $2 million to commission a renovation that created new interior circulation and a new entrance off the rear of the church, where most of the parking is now. The renovations were dedicated Sunday. ..." Full article at: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20071215/BUS INESS04/712150301/1002/BUSINES S | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1070 Registered: 11-2005 |
What? No Ste. Anne's on the tour? Sacrilege. | ||
Carptrash Member Username: Carptrash Post Number: 1499 Registered: 10-2003 |
One of the good things about Historic Trinity Lutheran is that those folks know their Parducci. Not as well as some, but a lot better than most. Don't miss CP's Luther guarding the parking lot and the interior work is some of CP's best. What was the question again? eeek | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2680 Registered: 10-2003 |
This year's Downtown Historic Church Tour event was well attended. Dr. David Eberhard greeted us at Historic Trinity Lutheran and talked about his church before we broke for lunch and then the afternoon tours. I was on Tour A that took us to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic, Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian, St. John Episcopal, and St. Joseph Catholic churches. All beautifully decorated for the holidays, each church was interesting for its history and artisanship. Dr. Eberhard did explain that each year all 20+ churches in the Association are sent a letter asking if they want to participate in the holiday tour event. Some decline because they don't have anyone to open the church and provide a short overview; others don't bother to respond. That's why some churches are not on the tour schedule. Per Carptrash's note above, I did make it a point to look for the Luther Tower and the figure of Martin Luther by Parducci:  The carvings over the front door are also quite beautiful. I imagine that those are also the work of Parducci. (Is that right, Carptrash?)  Nice to meet Papermoon and spouse on the tour!! | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2685 Registered: 10-2003 |
More Parducci work from Historic Trinity Lutheran:   | ||
Papermoon Member Username: Papermoon Post Number: 29 Registered: 08-2007 |
The tour was fascinating. Our historic churches are truly a treasure. A pleasure to meet you, too, Kathleen! Papermoon | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2688 Registered: 10-2003 |
Bump...hoping for confirmation that the exterior sculptures are all Parducci. Link to the Model D slideshow of photos by Dave Krieger: http://www.modeldmedia.com/pho toessays/holytrinity/ht01.aspx # Link to the Model D article on Historic Trinity Lutheran: http://www.modeldmedia.com/fea tures/holytrinity9307.aspx |
