This was a spot I had somehow managed to avoid seeing despite me staying with my explorer friends in and around the neighbourhood for the last few years. For one reason or another I had never managed to find the time to fit it in, there was always somewhere else to go or something else to see however it is probably one of the best spots in the city right now.
It's design is unlike any church I have explored, or even seen before. Built in 1922 for the Polish immigrant community from the outside it looks more like a school than a church, the only thing that gives it away as a place of worship is the stained glass. The building itself is split into three levels, with a community centre space in the basement, the church itself occupying the ground floor and a school situated on the floor above that. To the side of it is the former rectory, a substantial old house in and of itself. It was closed in 2007 after the congregation dwindled to practically nothing and has remained closed ever since. A few years back asbestos abatement work was undertaken which stripped the building of it's ceilings, this also had the added bonus of disabling the alarm system that had managed to keep intruders out since it closed.
The most instantly recognisable aspect of this church is the stained glass. Whilst it's fairly new compared to other churches I've shot, it's completely intact with not a single pane broken and the colours are so deep and vibrant it casts an amazing amount of coloured light into the church. I normally wouldn't bother with a rectory building but for once we decided to have a look as the door was wide open, and it turned out to be surprisingly nice with many original features left inside including a nice staircase, although there were clear signs that people had at one point been living upstairs in the bedrooms.
Thanks for looking
It's design is unlike any church I have explored, or even seen before. Built in 1922 for the Polish immigrant community from the outside it looks more like a school than a church, the only thing that gives it away as a place of worship is the stained glass. The building itself is split into three levels, with a community centre space in the basement, the church itself occupying the ground floor and a school situated on the floor above that. To the side of it is the former rectory, a substantial old house in and of itself. It was closed in 2007 after the congregation dwindled to practically nothing and has remained closed ever since. A few years back asbestos abatement work was undertaken which stripped the building of it's ceilings, this also had the added bonus of disabling the alarm system that had managed to keep intruders out since it closed.
The most instantly recognisable aspect of this church is the stained glass. Whilst it's fairly new compared to other churches I've shot, it's completely intact with not a single pane broken and the colours are so deep and vibrant it casts an amazing amount of coloured light into the church. I normally wouldn't bother with a rectory building but for once we decided to have a look as the door was wide open, and it turned out to be surprisingly nice with many original features left inside including a nice staircase, although there were clear signs that people had at one point been living upstairs in the bedrooms.
Thanks for looking
