Mysterious Chicago Property: St. Stephen’s Church
After taking you deep inside the Southwest Side’s abandoned and graffiti-tinged Damen Silos for an examination of the property’s more than 100-year history, we’re bringing you a look at Hyde Park’s former St. Stephens Church thanks to photographer Zachary Hauser.
Located at 5640 S Blackstone, the abandoned church was built in 1917 as the Tenth Church of Christ, Scientist, modeled after Boston’s First Church of Christ, Scientist (which was inspired by the White House and the Vatican). It became St. Stephens when the Christian Science church closed and a small black congregation took over in the late ‘60s. That grouped moved out in the late ‘90s, selling the 15k SF property to Konstantinos Antoniou. So began a protracted battle pitting developer against neighborhood and finally the bank, as no one could agree on the specifics (including height, density and historic preservation) of his planned condo development.
As the spat went on litigation and foreclosure proceedings ensued, and county records show the property is currently in the hands of Heartland Bank and Trust Co, with the last for-sale listings in 2011 priced at $1.5M. St. Stephen’s is still rezoned for residential development, but at this point in its decline demolition might be a developer’s more economical option. Given local momentum thanks to UChicago, developments like Harper Court and the potential for the Obama library, a new developer working in concert with the area’s very active neighborhood groups could go a long way in getting this once awe-inspiring site back on track.
Do you have photos of Chicago’s other mysterious commercial properties with fascinating histories? We want to see them! Send pics to [email protected].
