Lost house of worship, Detroit, 1853 to 1878
St. John’s German Evangelical Church
Demolished in 1878
- Opened
- 1853
- Torn down
- 1878
St. John’s German Evangelical Church stood in Detroit from 1853 until 1878. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
What is there now
Demolished in 1878
We have not yet found a source that says what stands on the spot today. Last looked on October 25, 2026.
The story
St. John’s German Evangelical Church went up in 1853, decades before the auto age, when the river was the city's main street.
It is gone now, demolished in 1878, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1853 Built
- 1878 Closed
- 1878 Demolished
- 2026 Today 148 years since it came down
Where it is
200-206 Monroe Ave.
On this map
- 1 St. John’s German Evangelical Church This place
- 2 Hilsendegen Block 70 ft
- 3 Palace Theatre 140 ft
- 4 National Theatre 150 ft
- 5 Crowley's Department Store 190 ft
- 6 Pochelon Building 230 ft
- 7 Water Board Building 260 ft
- 8 Liberty Theatre 290 ft
- 9 Ste. Claire Hotel 300 ft
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
More from Detroit in the 1850s
-
Second Baptist Church
House of worship, built 1852, Tudor Revival, by William E.N. Hunter
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Fort Street Presbyterian Church
House of worship, built 1855, Gothic Revival, by Albert H. Jordan
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Mariners Church
House of worship, built 1849, Gothic Revival, by Calvin N. Otis
Photo: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Church of the Messiah House of worship, built 1852, New England, by Calvin N. Otis
- First Congregational Church (old) House of worship, built 1854, by Albert H. Jordan, demolished 1900
- Marine Hospital Building, built 1857, by Anderson & Jordan, demolished
Around the block
- Hilsendegen Block Building, built 1867, Italianate, by Peter Dederichs, demolished 1953 70 ft
- Palace Theatre Theater, built 1914, Italian Renaissance, by C. Howard Crane, demolished 1953 140 ft
-
National Theatre
Theater, built 1911, Baroque-Beaux Arts, by Albert Kahn, demolished 2024
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
150 ft
- Crowley's Department Store Building, built 1906, Beaux Arts, by Field, Hinchman & Smith, demolished 1977 190 ft
- Pochelon Building Building, built 1923, Neoclassical, by Mildner & Eisen, demolished 230 ft
-
Water Board Building
Building, built 1928, Art Moderne, by Louis Kamper
Photo: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
260 ft
- Liberty Theatre Theater, built 1871, by C. Howard Crane, demolished 1926 290 ft
-
Ste. Claire Hotel
Hotel, built 1893, Renaissance Revival, by John Donaldson, demolished 1934
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
300 ft
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.