Recommends

ray casey

Joined 3 years ago

A light in the City. 4th Presb is truly "the ligth in the city". Great sermons, wonderful staff, all kinds of activities and events, awesome music program, wonderful and exciting mission trips and a very diverse congregation. And hands down the best sanctuary in the city

Doesn't Recommend

WindyCityEagle

Joined 5 years ago

Worst Childcare on the Northside. The staff and management of Bright Horizons treat families as nothing more than a revenue stream to be exploited. The center's stated goal is to get every dollar from you that it can, regardless of the effect on your or your children. If I had somewhere else to send my kids I would, but alas, I'm trapped by the lack of child care options in Chicago, so I have to keep sending my children there. If I had a chance to do it all over again, I certainly wouldn't. I hope someone else doesn't make the same mistake that I did.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

This may be the most recognizable house of worship in Chicago.. The Church
Ralph Adams Cram, one of the era's foremost neo-Gothic architects, designed the church. The interior's colored timber ceiling, dark wood chancel and painted windows give it a warm, inviting atmosphere. On piers extending from the top of the columns lining the nave stand 14 carved wooden angels, each holding a different musical instrument. Also striking is the carved stone pulpit, from which the pastor delivers his sermons.

History
Completed in 1914, when Michigan Avenue was little more than a quiet, tree-lined street, the church is now a grounding influence in the midst of vertigo-inducing skyscrapers. The part of the property most familiar to Magnificent Mile pedestrians is the tranquil courtyard, enclosed by Gothic walls on three sides and set off from the street by a cloister. Standing in the courtyard, with your back to Michigan Avenue and the John Hancock building, it's easy enough to imagine yourself on the other side of the Atlantic.

Other Details
Adjacent to the main church on the Delaware Street side is the intimate Stone Chapel, named for one of the church's former pastors. Small and narrow, with a high gabled roof and lower walls paneled with dark wood, the chapel's modest altarpiece is a lovely Northern-style panel painting of the risen Christ with saints.

The Fourth Presbyterian Church has a long history of social involvement in the community. Free tours are conducted every Sunday at 12:30 p.m.