The church building was originally constructed for Union Park Congregational Church, founded in 1860. Designed by architect Gurdon P. Randall and built between 1869 and 1871, the Gothic Revival-style structure features a steeply pitched slate roof, lancet windows, a tower with belfry, and Randall’s amphitheater-style seating, which focuses attention on the pulpit, communion table, and choir. The sanctuary is illuminated by six chandeliers and Italian opalescent glass windows extending through the balconies, filling the space with natural light.

 

Adjacent Carpenter Chapel, completed in 1869 and designed by Otis Wheelock for the Chicago Theological Seminary, shares the Gothic Revival style and is named for Philo Carpenter, co-founder of the original congregation, Chicago’s first druggist, and committed abolitionist. The chapel’s spire aligns with the church’s main steeple and south spire, creating a visually cohesive architectural ensemble.

 

The building has a long history of civic and social engagement. During the Civil War, the pastor of Union Park Congregational Church served in a special embassy with President Abraham Lincoln, contributing to efforts that helped shape the Emancipation Proclamation. The church also provided sanctuary to enslaved individuals traveling via the Underground Railroad. Following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, it temporarily housed the Mayor’s Office, City Council, and General Relief Committee, while members provided food, clothing, and shelter to fire victims. Every U.S. president from Abraham Lincoln through John F. Kennedy is reported to have stood behind its pulpit. Additionally, President Jimmy Carter is known to have visited, along with numerous Illinois governors, Chicago mayors, and other political figures, highlighting the building’s role as a civic as well as religious landmark.

 

In 1910, after the nearby First Congregational Church was destroyed by fire, Union Park Congregational Church merged with it, forming a new congregation. The building later became home to the present-day First Baptist Congregational Church, a united congregation of the United Church of Christ and Baptist traditions. Recognized as a Chicago Landmark, an Illinois Historic Landmark, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building remains an enduring example of Gothic Revival architecture and a center of historical, civic, and cultural importance in Chicago.