St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Parish Complex, Detroit Michigan

Date added: December 06, 2024

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The St. Charles Parish complex was the focal point of a late nineteenth and early twentieth century Belgian community, and a well preserved example of an early twentieth century Catholic parish complex of three buildings anchored by a lavishly detailed parish church which is the last work of one of Detroit's leading architects of Catholic churches of the time.

The history of the parish goes back as far as 1808, when an agreement of sale was reached between Francois Paul Malcher, owner of Private Claim 16, and Louis Beaufait, Joseph St. Pere St. Jean, Benoit Chapoton, and Francis and Charles Rivard, as representatives (trustees) for the Catholics in the Cote du Nord-Est territory (the northeast coast territory now constitutes most of the lower east side of Detroit). In consideration of 100 pounds a year for the rest of his life, Malcher, a Catholic watchmaker in poor health, agreed to transfer his 347 acres comprising Private Claim 16 in Hamtramck township. Thus his ribbon farm became known as the church farm. Father Gabriel Richard, pastor of Ste. Anne's Parish, solicited the donation of Malcher's land for religious purposes, but no new parish was created. "The title of the Church Farm was only temporarily held by the trustees to secure themselves against loss but it was planned from the beginning that it should be held by the pastor of Ste. Anne's and it was actually held by him for the whole parish, which meant the whole city … " (From a brief sent to Rome in the Church Farm case, October 6^th, 1920). In 1833 Frederick Rese, as pastor of Saint Anne's, was deeded the church farm by the trustees then living. Just a few months later Rese was appointed Bishop of Detroit, but never recorded the conveyance of the deed. The College of St. Philip de Neri, where priests prepared for the ministry, was established in the Cote du Nord-Est, but no new parish was established.

The deed to Rese as pastor of Ste. Anne's was brought to light in 1901 by the historian Clarence Burton. He found it in the files of ex-governor William Woodbridge, Rese's attorney. Had this deed been recorded by Rese at the time he received it, the turmoil that followed would have been unnecessary.

In 1857, in an out-of-court settlement, Rese's successor, Bishop Peter Paul Lefevre, sold half the church farm to land speculators in exchange for clear title to the less valuable northern half. Because no deed between Rese and the trustees could be found, the heirs of the trustees made claims that the transfer from Malcher was in fee simple, rather than in trust. The Wayne County Circuit Court ratified the settlement.

The little church and mission of St. Philip de Neri burned and was not rebuilt. The church farm was treated as the property of the diocese. Because of the scarcity of priests and irregularity of services at temporary churches in the Cote du Nord-Est, parishioners attended other Catholic churches, usually St. Anne's.

Meanwhile, Belgian families began arriving in Cote du Nord-Est. Some Belgians emigrated to the original French settlement long before the Civil War, and at first settled in the downtown area. The earliest Belgians in Detroit were Flemish missionaries, who began arriving in the 1830's. Most of the Catholic clergy in and around Detroit were Belgian; there were few Belgians other than men of the cloth in the city prior to 1857. As families came, they settled in the area around Gratiot and Baldwin, Baldwin being the city limits then. Others chose to settle in Centerline or Mt. Clemens. The center of the Belgian colony in Detroit was then the Catholic church located at Dubois and Fort Street. In 1884 a German church was purchased and rededicated to Our Lady of Sorrows on Catherine Street and Gratiot, and that, with Father Hendrix as pastor, became the religious center of the growing Belgian community. The Belgian population expanded in the 1880's because of unsettled conditions in Western Europe. The Belgian settlement moved eastward, and St. Charles Borromeo parish was established in 1886 in the heart of the Belgian community. Its first church building was located on Field between Agnes and St. Paul. It was a small frame building measuring 30' X 60' and was built primarily with the talents and materials of its parishioners. Charles Goddeeris, born in West Flanders in 1855, provided carpentry expertise; Charles Rabaut, born in Courtri, Belgium in 1830, a sash and door manufacturer, provided his wares, and the Dieryckx Brothers, contractors, provided their services. The small church was dedicated on February 6^th, 1887 and Father Hendrix divided his time between Our Lady of Sorrows and its offshoot, St. Charles Borromeo. The parochial school was opened three weeks later in the church, with 57 pupils.

Among members of old Belgian families in Detroit were Peter de Coster, the first Belgian consul; Charles Vande Poele, Inventor of an electric light that lit the Detroit Opera House and father of the electric trolley; Charles Rabaut, most zealous leader in the founding of St. Charles parish and grandfather of Congressman Louis Rabaut, and Francis Palms, one of the largest landholders in Michigan. Belgian saloons, of which there were many, became meeting places for Belgians, and several Belgian fraternal organizations, such as the St. Charles Benovolent Society, sprang up to serve needs within the Belgian community.

Father Denissen became pastor of St. Charles in 1889. His church was too small for its membership, so in that year Charles Goddeeris supervised the move and expansion of the building. It was sawed in two, its front was moved 20' forward, and a new 20' section was built between the two ends.

Father Denissen, born in Holland in 1847, dug deeply into the ownership of the Church Farm after innocently researching land transactions of a house he wanted to buy in the Church Farm. It appeared to him that the Church Farm was never intended to be the property of the diocese; it was supposed to be in trust for the parish and its people. Denissen wished to built a new church and school, but lack of funds would not allow it. When Bishop Foley made light of his request for some proceeds from sale of pieces of the Church Farm, Denissen engaged Father Baart, an expert on Canon Law, from Marshall, Michigan. The case was ultimately appealed to the Pope in Rome. When the decision came in 1897, it was in the parish's favor.

The decision required that approximately $270,000 in proceeds from previous land sales were to be used for the benefit of the Catholics in the Cote du Nord-Est territory. For the next 20 years, the "Church Farm" questions had not been settled. Bishop Foley insisted that the Cote du Nord-Est territory encompassed much more than St. Charles parish; it extended from downtown Detroit to St. Clair Shores; St. Charles would not be the sole beneficiary. He also stated that the diocese had paid taxes on the property all those years and if it didn't own the land it should be paid back by the parish. It took the newly appointed Bishop Gallagher to diplomatically close the matter shortly after he came to Detroit from Grand Rapids in 1918. He asked Rome to reconsider the case in light of the previously unrecorded deed to Rese and records of St. Anne's church. He argued that taxes of the former 20 years had eaten away $100,00 and in the ten years hence all of the money will have gone to taxes. Only four city blocks of the originally Church Farm still owned by the church were left. On November 26^th, 1920, the case was decided in Bishop Gallagher's favor, resolving the issue once and for all.

At the time of the 1897 decision from Rome, the parishioners of St. Charles parish, in order of their numbers, represented French, Belgians, Germans, Irish Scotch, and other English-speaking people. The parish was growing and Father Denissen focused on the acquirement of property for a suitable church and rectory, and for a larger school. Thirteen lots were purchased in the Field subdivision, six on Townsend Avenue and seven on Baldwin Avenue. The church property now faced on three streets; Townsend on the West, St. Paul on the North and Baldwin on the East. The Dieryckx brothers were again called as contractors, this time to move the old church to its new location, fronting Townsend Avenue. It was a low roofed frame structure of plain and uninviting lines. It remained in its original condition from 1891 until the completion of the new church in 1919.

The parish continued to expand after the turn of the century, along with the expansion of the city as a whole. When Father Hewlett was appointed to the parish in 1911 it had 800 members. Father Hewlett built the rectory and the parochial school in 1912, and the church in 1918. The school accommodated 700 pupils. Its size was doubled in 1925. By 1920, St. Charles parish had over 3,000 members, most American Born.

The new church was to be built on land sold years before and reacquired by Bishop Foley for St. Charles parish. After a competition for the contract, the preparation of plans and specifications and site supervision was awarded to Peter Dederichs. On February 25^th, 1918, Peter Dederichs was issued a permit for the construction of an "ediface of Romanesque style for religious use". (Detroit Free Press, 1/13/18), on Baldwin and St. Paul. Its estimated value was $160,000, and it was to be completed on May 1^st; 1919:

Dederichs made a specialty of church architecture during his career, and built many churches throughout the U.S. and Canada. It is fitting that he began his career at age 17 with the design of Sacred Heart church at Rivard and Eliot Streets and ended it in 1918 with the design of St. Charles Borromeo. He is also the architect of St. Mary's on Monroe and St. Antoine. Dederichs, a lifelong resident of Detroit, was buried from St. Charles church and buried at Mt. Elliott Cemetery in 1924. The new St. Charles Borromeo church was dedicated on June 13^th, 1920, by Right-Reverend Michael J. Gallagher, Bishop of Detroit. It was then one of the largest on the East side.

In 1929 Reverend Hewlett requested $20,000 from Bishop Gallagher to spend on decorating the inside of the church.

Site Description

The St. Charles Borromeo parish complex consists of four buildings. The church occupies the entire depth of the block from Baldwin Avenue to Townsend Avenue along the south side of St. Paul; the rectory is on Baldwin with a parking area separating it from the main facade of the church; and the school faces Townsend immediately next to the chancel end of the church. There is an automobile garage on the property as well, but this is outside the district boundaries. The complex is no longer complete; a nun's convent has been demolished.

St. Charles Borromeo church was designed by architect Peter Dederichs in 1918 and remains essentially unaltered today. Although newspaper reports of the time identified the style as "Romanesque", the building seems to modern eyes a blend of classical and Arts-and-Crafts elements resulting in a design typical of the first quarter of the 20^th century.

The exterior is of red-brown tapestry brick with trimmings and foundations of smooth white Bedford stone. Green tile fills the spandrels and pediments of the front and transept facades. The church measures 92' across the front and 180' in length. The triple arched entrances are recessed within a two-story arch flanked by columns on plinths; above the doors is the large "rose" window, actually an arch with square corners below, but with tracery achieving the traditional circle at the bottom. Decorative elements include acanthus in the keystones, egg and dart and bead and reel moldings, a classical balustrade below the window and rosettes in the spandrels of the entrance arches. On the brick pilasters which flank the central tall arch and support the crowning pediment are decorative elements deriving from Prairie or Arts and Crafts models, carried out in raised brick and white stone. The facade is flanked by towers, the southern being 69' high and the northern 104' tall; both are covered with low hip roofs. Both towers and church proper are roofed in red tile, and there is a small rectangular "fleche" with a_ low hip roof on the crossing. At the rear, the rectangular chancel flanked by sacristies and other subsidiary spaces creates a geometrical assemblage of rectangular volumes quite striking in its effect from northwest of the church.

In plan, St. Charles is a Latin cross. Inside, the main auditorium is 72' wide; the transepts are 92' across, and the chancel is 44' wide, and 40' deep. The church is covered in barrel vaulting carried on a classical arcade surmounted by a clerestory; the main vaulting is 56' high, while the side aisles are 33' high. The main altar is baroque in character, with a reredos featuring a broken pediment and volutes above niches containing statuary, of which the central figure is Charles Borromeo. The rear wall of the chancel features a painting of angels flanking across beaming rays of light. Subsidiary altars are located in the one bay of the side aisles located to the liturgical east of the transepts, and each transept has a small shrine centered on its outer wall, flanked by confessionals.

Interior furnishing of note includes the stained glass, three "roses" in the entrance and transept facades, and arch-topped windows in the side aisles and clerestory. These were made by DaPrato Studios of New York and Chicago, well-known for church furnishings. The organ, located in a west gallery and made in two sections to flank the rose, is a relatively rare example of an instrument by the Wurlitzer Company of Buffalo, New York, made for a church and not for a theatre. The interior has extensive decorative plasterwork, and is decorated in stencil and mural painting. Alterations made to reflect liturgical change include an altar located at the crossing of nave and transepts and the relocation of some pews; the traditional furnishings have not been disturbed.

The church is, in plan and interior design, a near duplicate of Dederichs' St. Mary's Church of 1885, and that may account for the use of the term "Romanesque", since that is the style of St. Mary's. The only major difference between the two buildings is the use of a barrel-vaulted rectangular chancel in St. Charles, which is a departure from the semicircular chancel with half-dome at St. Mary's. Even some of the plaster ornamentation in St. Charles has a rather Neo-Grec quality, and may have been re-used from the earlier design. St. Mary's was one of Dederichs' most successful designs, and it seems reasonable to speculate that Dederichs, in his old age, saved time in the design of a large commission by returning to an older favorite.

St. Charles Church sits on a high basement, and there is a full and habitable basement beneath the church proper. This is occupied by schoolrooms beneath the nave, and assembly and social spaces under the transepts and chancel.

The rectory and the school were both designed in 1912 by the architectural firm of Van Leyen and Schilling of Detroit, who earlier designed Holy Family R.C. Church, and, as Van Leyen Schilling & Keough, designed a series of magnificent Catholic churches in the boom years of the 1920's.

The rectory is a center entrance house very much in the Prairie Manner, although some details suggest its ecclesiastical purpose. Built of similar dark tapestry brick to that of the church, it is likewise trimmed with light stone and has a red tile roof. A low hip roof with bracketed overhang and a full width roof over the front porch emphasize the horizontal; the porch is flanked by heavy brick piers with Prairie style trim in stone; in antis within these piers lie Byzantine or Early Christian columns with cushion capitals, one at each side next to the piers and doubled at either side of the central steps. The oak door in the center is flanked by sidelights, and above a wall dormer rises from the center of the facade and enframes a second and a third story window within cast stone ornament; the second story window is rectangular, a stone spandrel is between the two windows, and the third story window is arch-topped and is surmounted by a round arch in brick and stone. Identical three-light "Chicago School" windows flank the center elements on both floors. Within, the floor plan is a common one for the time; the central hall leads toward the rear, with the living room on the north and a office spaces with a large bay window on the south; at the rear of the hall the dining room is entered through double doors, and extends north behind the living room. Behind the study, the stairs rise to a landing against the south side wall of the house, and reverse to reach the second floor. There is a lavatory under the stairs, and a side entrance adjacent. Service areas and a back stairs occupy the area south of the dining room and west of the stair hall; there is a service wing containing the kitchen and pantries extended to the rear on the south side.

The school is strongly in the Prairie mode; only half the present building was built in 1912, the remainder being an identical addition of 1925. The building has two stories on a high basement, all three levels being used for classrooms. The Townsend facade shows two identical entrance pavilions flanked by one classroom on each side, so that the north and south ends of the building are identical, presumably reflecting the original building with a central entrance on its facade, and the addition of an identical section next to it. The building is of brown tapestry brick with stone trim and stands on a high brick foundation; the flat roof is within a parapet. The Townsend entrances are at grade with stairs within to reach floors above and below. Double doors with segmentally arched transoms are framed in decorative stone and contained within heavy brick piers supporting a heavy segmental arch in stone, whose springing aligns with a continuous stone sill at the level of the first floor window sills. Much of the stone ornament is of a Sullivanesque or early Wrightian character. The entrances stand forward of full-height stair pavilions, themselves brought

forward from the line of the facade. Above the entrances these contain double-height segmentally arched and muntinned windows opening into the stairwells, which are capped by segmental arched parapets reflecting those below. On either side, schoolroom windows follow a pattern of a single window at the corners or next to the entrances, and double windows otherwise, creating a rhythm much in the Prairie manner. The first and second floor windows are identical, and separated by spandrels in brick with Prairie decoration. The basement fenestration follows the same pattern, but the brick foundation and its windows are completely undecorated. All sash are double-hung one-over-one. Above the second floor windows runs a sort of continuous hoodmold, which aligns with decorative stone bands near the top of the stair pavilions. Above, a blind arcade in brick tops stone in the blind arches, with bands of stone and brick in the parapet above; the entire cornice design rises into a segmental arch over each entrance/stair pavilion. The side facades are similarly, but more simply, treated. The rear facade is completely undecorated.