This is the yellow-hued church that is very visible when you exit the Chrysler Expressway in downtown Detroit, or drive west on East Jefferson toward the Renaissance Center. It is Detroit's first Italian Catholic church. Shortly after 1900, immigrants from Sicily and southern Italy settled in northeast Detroit. They began to worship at Sts. Peter and Paul on East Jefferson, but in 1907, Father Giovanni Boschi arrived from Italy and sought to establish an Italian parish here. In 1908, Bishop Foley gave him permission to do so and named the parish La Chiesa Della Sacra Famiglia or the Church of the Holy Family.
In 1909, construction began on a modest Italian Renaissance-style, basilica-type church. There is a central entrance pavilion with a segmented pediment that frames a limestone medallion. Then there is a triangular pediment and then, even more elevated on the front of the church, is a rounded arched belfry. The stained glass windows are also attractive and distinctive. The aisle windows date from the original construction and illustrate a variety of Catholic scenes, including several displaying popular Italian saints. The clerestory windows date from 1980 and show more scenes from the life of Christ.
Architect: Edward A. Schilling
Architectural Style: Seventeenth century Italian Baroque style typically of
the church built in that era in southern Italy and Sicily.
Date of Completion: 1910
Michigan Registry of Historic Sites: P25140, Listed February 16, 1989
Michigan Historical Marker. Erected October 22, 1990. This marker is clearly
visible at the front of the church along the Chrysler Expressway service drive.
Photo: October, 2002, Ren Farley
Use in 2002: Catholic Church
Return to Religious Structures