East Side Baptist

Church Building

 

       The East Side Baptist Church was founded in 1876.  The cost for building the church was $780 and the land was given to the members by the Calumet and Chicago Canal and Dock Company.  The original members were German Baptists who would meet in each others homes until the church was built.  They were from the First German Baptist Church on Chicago's North Side.  In April 18, 1882 the Colehour mission was finally recognized as a separate church.  Reverend Gotthard Mengel was their first pastor, from 1882 to 1891.  Somewhere around 1895 to 1901 the name was changed to South Chicago German Baptist Church.  In 1930, the name of the church was changed from South Chicago German Baptist Church to East Side Baptist Church.  The following year the basement was remodeled at a cost of $9,780.   In October of 1950, a new constitution was adopted.  A church nursery opened on Mother's Day, 1956 operated by the Guild, and a Young Women's Guild was established on March 6, 1965.  The church always needed repair and in 1957 a recreation room was built.  In 1960 a Sunday School room was built and in April twelve feet of vacant property was purchased south of the church building.  The thought of having an educational unit came to mind but it was too expensive.  So the possibility of a new church was talked about.  It was finally voted on Wednesday, April 26, 1967 to build a new church and a building committee was organized.  In 1969 they had difficulties securing a building permit, and finally on March 25, 1971 the city approved the building permit.  In April 18, 1971, a Reunion Day was held, one of the last events in the old church.  On June 7, 1971 the old church was going down.
 

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Chicago's East Side Community.