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House of worship, Lafayette Park, since 1870

St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church

Still standing, photographed 2013

Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Detroit, MI), exterior, 2013 Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Opened
1870
Style
Late Gothic Revival
Standing
156 years

Designed by Donaldson & Meier

St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church has stood on Jay St. in Lafayette Park since 1870, 156 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.

On the map

More photos of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church

Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Detroit, MI), exterior, quarter view, 2013 Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Detroit, 2008 Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kirche in Wallerfangen, 2011 Photo: Lokilech, 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

In 1870, in Detroit's Gilded Age, when stove works, shipyards and railroads made the city's first fortunes, St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church opened in Lafayette Park.

Donaldson & Meier drew the plans, in the Late Gothic Revival style.

The National Register of Historic Places listed it in 1972.

Go see it at 1828 Jay St. Photos never get the scale right.

St. Joseph Shrine (formerly St. Joseph Oratory and St.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Timeline

  1. 1870 Built Designed by Donaldson & Meier
  2. 1972 Listed on the National Register December 8, 1972
  3. 2026 Today 156 years and still standing

Where it is

1828 Jay St.

On this map

  1. St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church This place
  2. St. Joseph Shrine 80 ft
  3. Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Parish Complex (Boundary Increase) 90 ft
  4. Antietam Avenue Bridge 230 ft
  5. Chestnut Street-Grand Trunk Railroad 430 ft
  6. Koenig Coal & Supply Co. Building 0.1 mi
  7. Wisner Confectionary Building 0.2 mi
  8. St. John's-St. Luke's Evangelical Church 0.2 mi
  9. Frontera & Son 0.2 mi

Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors

Who made it

Donaldson & Meier
Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Architect

Donaldson & Meier

American architectural firm, founded 1882. Designed the Penobscot Building (1928) and 58 more in Metro Detroit

Also by Donaldson & Meier

More from Detroit in the 1870s

Around the block

It is in Lafayette Park. 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. Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Detroit, MI), exterior, 2013 Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Detroit, MI), exterior, quarter view, 2013 Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  3. St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Detroit, 2008 Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  4. Kirche in Wallerfangen, 2011 Photo: Lokilech, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  5. Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Detroit, MI), altar and tabernacle, 2013 Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  6. Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Detroit, MI), nave, rear, 2013 Photo: Nheyob, 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.