The Historic First Congregational Church of Detroit at 33 East Forest and Woodward Avenue was designed by Boston architect John Lyman Faxon and completed in 1891. The parish was founded on Christmas Day of 1844 and previously housed in two buildings located in what is now present-day downtown Detroit. The current building is an opulent mix of Romanesque Revival and Byzantine styles. Faxon traveled to Europe and modeled the structure after those he saw in cities like Venice and Ravenna. The bell tower, or campanile, measures 120 feet and is capped off by a copper figure of the archangel Uriel. An addition to the north, now known as the Angels' Wing Community House, was designed by Albert Kahn and built in the early 1920s. The First Congregational Church is perhaps best known for the crucial role it played in the Underground Railroad. It is home to the nationally renowned Underground Railroad Living Museum and the Flight to Freedom Tour, a thrilling storytelling re-enactment of the original UR journey (1840 - 1863) in which "fugitive" slaves made the long, arduous journey up north to "midnight", which was the code name for Detroit, and found refuge in the basement of First Congregational before obtaining freedom in Canada just across the river, where slavery didn't exist. Recently, the Woodward Avenue facade got a much-needed facelift after severe weather conditions took its toll a few years ago. #Detroit #CulturalCenter #MidtownDetroit #RomanesqueRevival #Byzantine #EcclesiasticalArchitecture #VictorianArchitecture #JohnLymanFaxon #WoodwardAvenue #archi_ologie #BrickStory #RawDetroit #PureMichigan #PureMittigan #MotorCityShooters #PureDetroit313 #DepictTheD #VisitDetroit #Michiganders #ThisPlaceMatters #ThisPlaceMattersDetroit #MichiganPlacesMatter (at First Congregational Church of Detroit) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8nEx1bF-nk/?igshid=1nxkt15okg38e
