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House of worship, Greektown, since 1885

St. Mary's Catholic Church

Photographed standing in 2009

StMarys Roman Catholic in Greektown, Detroit, 2007 Photo: I, Mikerussell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Opened
1885
Standing
141 years

Designed by Peter Dederichs

St. Mary's Catholic Church has stood on E. Monroe St. in Greektown since 1885, 141 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.

On the map

More photos of St. Mary's Catholic Church

Greektown Hotel and St. Mary's Church Detroit, 2009 Photo: Mikerussell at en.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 and open

We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 25, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.

The story

By Victoria Jackson, Editor in Chief Updated

St. Mary's Catholic Church opened in 1885, in Detroit's Gilded Age, when stove works, shipyards and railroads made the city's first fortunes.

Credit the design to Peter Dederichs.

It still stands and still opens its doors.

Next time you are nearby, stop at 646 E. Monroe St and look up.

St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, formally the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is in the third oldest Roman Catholic parish in Detroit, Michigan. Designed by German-born Peter Dederichs and built for the formerly ethnic German parish of the 19th century, it is located at 646 Monroe Street in what is now considered the heart of the Greektown Historic District in downtown Detroit.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Timeline

  1. 1885 Built Designed by Peter Dederichs
  2. 2026 Today 141 years and still standing

Where it is

646 E. Monroe St.

On this map

  1. St. Mary's Catholic Church This place
  2. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral 440 ft
  3. Hollywood Casino at Greektown 450 ft
  4. Greektown Historic District 470 ft
  5. Detroit Cornice and Slate Company Building 500 ft
  6. Detroit Police Headquarters 0.1 mi
  7. Municipal Court Building 0.1 mi
  8. Second Baptist Church 0.1 mi
  9. St. Mary's Hospital 0.1 mi

Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors

Who made it

Architect

Peter Dederichs

Architect, 1856 to 1924. Designed St. Mary's Catholic Church (1885) and 3 more in Metro Detroit

Also by Peter Dederichs

More from Detroit in the 1880s

Around the block

It is in Greektown. 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. StMarys Roman Catholic in Greektown, Detroit, 2007 Photo: I, Mikerussell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. Greektown Hotel and St. Mary's Church Detroit, 2009 Photo: Mikerussell at en.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.