St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church (Detroit, Michigan)

St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church is a church on the corner of Baldwin Avenue and St. Paul Avenue in Detroit, Michigan.

History

End of the 1850s, Belgian immigrant Catholics in the Detroit area and settled in the eastern districts of Gratiot and Baldwin. A church was dedicated in 1886 Charles Borromeo. A built in timber frame construction church was soon expanded and grew as Detroit, also you church expanded. The Belgian immigrants were joined by French, German, Irish, Scottish and English. 1920 were more than 3,000 residents of the municipality.

The two-storey parochial building with the attached school was planned in 1912 and built by Van Leyen & Schilling. 1918 Peter Dederichs was awarded the contract to build a " building in the Romanesque Revival style for a religious use ." Just four years after the completion of the building was extended to do the needs of the growing congregation enough.

The church is still used today, although the community has changed. The parish building still fulfills its original function, the school house, however, is leased to the Church of the Messiah.

Description

The complex consists of four buildings, three of which are historically significant: the church itself, the rectory and the school.

The church is built of red and brown bricks that sit on a pedestal on white Bedford stone, the ornaments are made of the same stone. The church has a Latin cross plan; it is 28 m wide and 55 m long. The design of the church is a neo-Romanesque with elements of Arts and Crafts. The front is flanked by two asymmetric towers with red roof tiles. The entrance is located in a two story building featuring archways and columns on either side, above which is a rosette. In the spandrels above the Eingangstorbogens rosettes are also incorporated green tile fill the interstices and pediments of the front and side facades. The decorative Backsteinpilaster around the central arch are derived from the Prairie Style or the architecture of the Arts and Crafts.

The high altar is decorated in Baroque style. The organ is divided into two parts in order to keep the rose window and is located above the main entrance.

School and rectory were designed in the Prairie style with some elements of Byzantine architecture.