Episcopal Church of the Atonement and Parish House

Episcopal Church of the Atonement and Parish House, The
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	5751 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates
Area	less than one acre
Built	1889
Architect	Henry Ives Cobb
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
NRHP Reference #	09000590
Added to NRHP	July 30, 2009

The Episcopal Church of the Atonement and Parish House is a historic church building at 5751 North Kenmore Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The Gothic Revival building was constructed in 1889 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Congregational History

In 1886 a group of Episcopalian families met in a building at Bryn Mawr and Winthrop Avenues and decided that a Church should be established in Edgewater. In November 1888 the group became a Mission of the diocese to be known as the Church of the Atonement. The cornerstone of the original Church was laid in November 1889 at the present site at Kenmore and Ardmore. The church was finished in June 1890.

The architect was Henry Ives Cobb. He is known for the Potter Palmer Mansion, the Newberry Library and the Old Chicago Historical Society on Dearborn and Ontario Streets (now a nightclub). He also designed the Fisher Building. He had the east wall of wood to make expansion easy.

In May 1898 the Mission became a Parish and had 120 members.

The Parish house south of the Church was built in 1898. In 1910 the Church was enlarged to twice its capacity and served over 500 members. This expansion and the 1919 expansion were under the guidance of J.E.O. Pridmore. He carefully maintained the original character of an English Gothic Church. The first service after the last expansion was on Easter in 1920. The Church then had 650 members. In 1922 a new Parish House was begun and completed in 1924. Stained glass windows were begun in 1929 and finished in 1946. The best example of the stained glass is the Christ the King window in the North Chapel. It has been recognized in books on stained glass in Chicago as one of the best.

On the second level of the Parish House, is the Elizabethan Room. It was brought to the United States from England in 1620. The paneling is registered with The Art Institute of Chicago and is the only authentic example of its kind in the Midwest.

On June 1, 2003 the Very Reverend Dean Paxton Rice retired. He had served the Parish since 1956. The Rev. John David van Dooren was elected rector in June 2005.

External links

• Official website
• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons