Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church
629 East Jefferson at the intersection with St. Antoine just northeast of downtown Detroit
This is the oldest church building in Detroit and the second oldest Catholic parish in the city. Francis Letourno designed this brick structure. It might remind you of a very plain and simple New England meeting house, hardly a style associated with the Catholic tradition of church building. But upon closer inspection, especially of the columns in the façade, you realize that Letourno incorporated influences from the Italian Renaissance, which was influenced by classical Greek architecture. His design called for dividing the walls into bays with round-arch windows set in arches. There is a projecting bay on the Jefferson Avenue front of this church with a pediment supported by Ionic pilasters. Inside the church, there is a ornate carrara marble altar designed by Detroit resident, Gustave Adolph Mueller. The architect designed a tower for this church, but it was never built. Letourno was born in Mt. Clemens, Michigan and moved to Detroit in the early 1830s, where he became one of the first architect and builders in this small and slowly growing city.
In many American cities, Catholics were a late immigrant group, appearing for the first time in substantial numbers after the famine in Ireland and the revolution in Germany in 1848 provoked Catholics to come to the States. This was not the situation in Detroit since the city's first Catholic parish dates to Antoine Cadillac's arrival in 1701. By the early 1840s, there were sufficient numbers of prosperous Catholics to build this impressive church and import marble from Italy for an altar.
Alterations were made and additions were incorporated in 1857, 1877, 1879, 1892 and 1908, but the Letourno's basic architectural plan was not changed. From 1848 until 1877, this church served as the cathedral of the Catholic diocese. In 1877, Bishop Borgess gave the parish to the Jesuit order of priests who continue to maintain the church.
Architect: Francis Letourno
Builder: Peter Kindenkins
Date of completion: 1848
Use in 2002: Exactly the same as when it was completed in 1848- a house of
worship.
State Historical Register: P25237, Listed January 22, 1971
State Historical Marker: Place on site May 9, 1974. This marker is on the
front of the church, along Jefferson Avenue.
National Register of Historic Buildings: Listed September 3, 1971.
Photo: Ren Farley, August, 2002
This is a pre-Civil War building.
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