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House of worship, Eastern Market, since 1875

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Convent and Rectory

Photographed standing in 2008

Sacred Heart Rectory Detroit mI, 2008 Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Opened
1875
Style
Italianate
Standing
151 years

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Convent and Rectory has stood on Eliot St. in Eastern Market since 1875, 151 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.

On the map

More photos of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Convent and Rectory

The facade of the Sacred Heart Catholic church in Detroit, Michigan, USA, 2008 Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The landmark St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church, on Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, 2008 Photo: Umdet, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Città del Vaticano, Cupola della Basilica di S. Pietro, 2006 Photo: MarkusMark, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What is there now

Standing

We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 24, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.

The story

By Victoria Jackson, Editor in Chief Updated

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Convent and Rectory opened in 1875, in Detroit's Gilded Age, when stove works, shipyards and railroads made the city's first fortunes.

It was built in the Italianate style, and it still reads that way from the sidewalk.

It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Next time you are nearby, stop at 1000 Eliot St and look up.

The Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Convent and Rectory is a Roman Catholic church complex located at 1000 Eliot Street in Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1975 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Timeline

  1. 1875 Built Italianate, Romanesque Revival
  2. 1980 Listed on the National Register June 6, 1980
  3. 2026 Today 151 years and still standing

Where it is

1000 Eliot St.

On this map

  1. Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Convent and Rectory This place
  2. Sacred Heart Catholic Church 240 ft
  3. Hook and Ladder House No. 5-Detroit Fire Department Repair Shop 0.2 mi
  4. Brewster-Douglass Projects 0.4 mi
  5. Dr. Otto Lang House 0.4 mi
  6. Edwin W. Gregory House 0.4 mi
  7. Martin A. Edwards House 0.4 mi
  8. Frank W. Atkinson House 0.4 mi
  9. Donald Miller House 0.4 mi

Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors

More from Detroit in the 1870s

Around the block

It is in Eastern Market. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.

Photo credits

Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.

  1. Sacred Heart Rectory Detroit mI, 2008 Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. The facade of the Sacred Heart Catholic church in Detroit, Michigan, USA, 2008 Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  3. The landmark St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church, on Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, 2008 Photo: Umdet, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  4. Città del Vaticano, Cupola della Basilica di S. Pietro, 2006 Photo: MarkusMark, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.