Cathedral Church of St. Paul Address: 4800 Woodward Built: 1911 Architect: Ralph Adams Cram Formed in 1824, Saint Paul is the oldest Episcopalian parish in Michigan. The original church was located on Woodward between Congress & Larned. In 1851, the congregation relocated to the corner of Congress & Shelby, near the west side of downtown. Originally, George D. Mason, one of the city's top architects and member of the parish, was engaged to design a new building. However, the change from parish to Cathedral made it advisable to reconsider plans. After much deliberation, it was finally deemed best to acquire the architectural expertise of Dr. Ralph Adams Cram of the Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson firm. Mr. Mason was retained as construction architect. The present building was erected from 1908 to 1911. Cram designed the cathedral in a revival of 14th century medieval style, with its soaring, pointed arches, wide expanses of stained glass and elaborate tracery. It is erected entirely of limestone. A planned tower at the crossing of the nave and transepts has yet to be built. The interior features stained glass windows from around the globe, including J&R Lamb Studios of New Jersey, Heaton, Butler, Bayne of London, and the Franz Mayer Company of Munich. These windows illustrate the First Day of Creation, as described in the Book of Genesis. The interior also boasts Pewabic tile floors, huge columns and carved oak woodwork. No steel whatsoever was used in the construction of the Cathedral, meaning the structure supports its own weight . In 1912, St. Paul's became the official cathedral church of the Diocese of Michigan. On Thursday April 9, 1947, the funeral service for Henry Ford was held at the Cathedral, with 600 attending and millions nationwide mourning the auto pioneer's death. #Detroit #CulturalCenter #MidtownDetroit #GothicRevival #Ecclesiastical #RalphAdamsCram #WoodwardAvenue #archi_ologie #RawDetroit #PureMichigan #PureMittigan #MotorCityShooters #PureDetroit #DepictTheD #VisitDetroit #Michiganders #TheMidwestival #IGersDetroit #IGersMidwest #detroit_igers #ThisPlaceMatters #ThisPlaceMattersDetroit #MichiganPlacesMatter (at The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit Michigan)
