St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, 1926 (Detroit, Michigan)

St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, now known as St. Matthew's-St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, is a historic Episcopal church located at 8850 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, and is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[1]

St. Joseph's Episcopal Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	8850 Woodward Avenue Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates	42°22′52.17″N 83°4′47.25″W
Built	1926
Architect	James J. Nettleton
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival
MPS	Religious Structures of Woodward Avenue TR
NRHP reference No.	82002909[1]
Added to NRHP	August 3, 1982

History

This building was constructed in 1926 as a successor to the earlier St. Joseph's Episcopal Church at 5930 Woodward Avenue.[2] In 1971, St. Matthew's Episcopal, the second oldest African American congregation in Detroit,[3] merged with St. Joseph's.[2]

Building

The church building is a typical Gothic structure built from dark coursed sandstone with light sandstone trim.[2] It has a narrow gabled nave and projecting side aisles and projecting transepts.[2] A large rose window faces Woodward,[3] sitting above a recessed entrance.[2] A tall, square bell tower and parish house sit against the north trancept.[2] The sides are buttressed, with Gothic clerestory windows.[2]

The architect, James J. Nettleton, was a member of the St. Joseph's congregation and graduate of the architecture program at Cornell University.[4]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. Saint Joseph's Episcopal Church from the state of Michigan
3. St. Matthew's—St. Joseph's Episcopal Church from Detroit1701.org.
4. St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church from City of Detroit Planning and Development Department.

Further reading

• Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.

External links

• St. Matthew and St. Josephs Episcopal Church