Chicago Temple Building

Identification

Map

Structure in general

Usage

Facts

• Tallest building in Chicago from 1924 to 1930; surpassed by the Chicago Board of Trade.
• The building contains 3 sanctuaries: a 2-story main sanctuary on the ground floor seating 1,200; the Dixon Chapel on the 2nd floor; and the "Sky Chapel" below the steeple, 400 feet high.
• This is the tallest church building in the world, but the tallest actual church is the Ulmer Münster in Germany.
• The Sky Chapel is too small for most masses, but is commonly used for special events like baptisms, weddings, and funerals.
• The building contains one residential unit: a parsonage for the Methodist church's senior pastor.
• The legendary trial attorney Clarence Darrow used to work on the 6th floor of this building.
• The Sky Chapel was installed in 1952 as a gift from Myrtle Walgreen in honor of her husband, the founder of the Walgreen's chain of drugstores.
• The church's congregation is the oldest in Chicago, dating back to a log church across the Chicago River in 1831. In 1838 the church was moved to this site.
• Another combination of a Methodist church with a skyscraper is the Methodist House in Hong Kong.
• A detailed model of the building is on display on the second floor.