fate of 19th century church on north artesian avenue remains uncertain

four years ago, curbed chicago listed the church at 1300 north artesian avenue as a "juicy development prospect" awaiting residential conversion. the listing cited its windows and woodwork as appealing features; it has since been drastically reduced in price. the semi-abandoned church still stands, no demolition or conversion underway yet, though the interior is largely gutted, with bricked-in windows and little preventing exposure to the elements.

the beautiful red brick corner church just east of humboldt park has a history dating to the late nineteenth century. humboldt park was annexed to chicago in 1869, and experienced dramatic development from the 1870's on (as the parkside area was promoted, and the downtown business district expanded post-fire). in 1886 the street railway arrived, followed shortly after by the elevated railway. two-flats, bungalows, and one- and two-story frame dwellings were built throughout the neighborhood, attracting a strong immigrant community, a majority of which were norwegian.

accordingly, the building at 1300 north artesian (formerly 659 n. artesian, prior to the 1909 address conversion) was founded by the zion evangelical lutheran church (affiliated with the united norwegian lutheran church of america). according to a 1905 history of norwegians in illinois, services began in the area in 1891 when rev. j.n. kildahl and rev. n.j. ellestad established a mission, first in a vacant store on the corner of washtenaw and crystal. by june, the mission had to give up its quarters, but managed to buy two lots and a cottage on the corner of artesian and potomac. the mission conducted its norwegian and english services and sunday school out of the cottage until the fall of 1891, when a church extension fund enabled them to construct a chapel on the lots. a construction news blurb indicates c.f. swanson worked on the construction at 659 and 661 artesian avenue around july 1898. by the end of the decade (1901), the structure was completed -- a red brick church at a cost of $19,000 and with a seating capacity of 400. the old cottage was moved to the rear of the lot and remodeled, equipped as a two-story flat building. though the congregation's population grew, records indicate that they struggled to pay for church expenses and debts.

two men who were instrumental in erecting the new church were john jersin and rev. j.h. meyer. the former was, from 1896-1904, the chairman of the board of trustees for the church. interestingly enough, jersin was also a member of the bjorgvin singing society, whose former headquarters at 1639 n. artesian was demolished just this month, and documented by urban remains -- a surprising salvage that yielded the discovery of a building within a building, a masonry "shell" surrounding and concealing an older clapboard structure.

the latter reverend, j.h. meyer was born in norway in 1862 and his involvement provides an interesting window into life at the turn of the century. he spent seven years at sea, working up from a deck boy to quartermaster on the english mail steamers plying between england and australia. it was in london that he connected with the strangers' rest mission (a seamens' mission), and began his work in australia, among other sailors, before eventually joining the ministry. by 1886, he had arrived in chicago to attend the theological seminary at morgan park. meyer left to establish churches in a number of other cities before, in july 1887, he returned to take charge of the building work of the zion norwegian lutheran church. at his arrival the congregation consisted of only 11 families, and was heavily indebted. after 7 years and 3 months service in this parish, the congregation had grown to over 500 people and the property was worth $26,000, with only $7,000 debt.

though rev. j.h. meyer seems to have improved the standing of the congregation, records indicate it was sold in 1912 to the ezras israel congregation, to make an unusual switch into a synagogue. from the turn of the century on, humboldt park had increasingly became a focal area for jewish meetings, picnics and social gatherings. unlike lawndale, which was largely orthodox, this northwest side area contained many reform and conservative jews as well as members of a hasidic synagogue. a number of local jews were inclined to emphasize yiddish culture and somewhat radical philosophies, with intellectuals and activists often adhering to socialism, communism, secularism and zionism. jewish radicals frequently articulated their philosophies from soap boxes on the corners around humboldt park; anarchists, socialists, communists, and "wobblies" (industrial workers of the world), would speak in yiddish or english, giving their analysis of the news and solutions to world problems.

the ezras israel congregation was the leading orthodox, later traditional, synagogue on the old northwest side. it had been established in 1904 in a small frame home on shober street, before moving to the corner of potomac and artesian for the next 50 years. ezras israel was led by two well-known jewish leaders, rabbi hirsch mayer rosenblum, known as the "red rabbi" for his red beard, not his politics, and rabbi israel miller.

denominational histories of the church aside, it stands as an important piece of the neighborhood's fabric. ailing structures like this one bring to mind the more widespread issue of how best to save and adapt places of worship that are badly neglected, and potentially face destruction. it is a prescient issue considering recent developments in the roman catholic archdiocese of chicago (covered by michael podgers of curbed chicago), who recently announced that within 15 years, almost 100 parishes could be closed -- alarming news for preservationists.

the decision comes as a result of several factors, including "a shortage of priests joining the seminary, declining mass attendance, and the deferral of maintenance bills for churches that are in need of attention." it means that an unprecedented number of nineteenth century buildings are at risk for demolition. compounding the problem is the fact that the city cannot designate religious buildings as a landmark without the consent of the owner. it seems that the number of "uncertain fates" will multiply well into the foreseeable future.