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| St. Ladislaus Church | |
|---|---|
  St. Ladislaus Church | |
| 41°56′30″N87°45′40.8″W / 41.94167°N 87.761333°W /41.94167; -87.761333 | |
| Location | Chicago |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | St. Ladislaus's Parish |
| History | |
| Founded | 1914 (1914) |
| Founder(s) | Polish immigrants |
| Dedication | St. Ladislaus |
| Dedicated | August 29, 1915 (1915-08-29) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | For Polish immigrants |
| Architect(s) | Leo Strelka |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Romanesque Revival |
| Groundbreaking | November 17, 1952 (1952-11-17) |
| Completed | June 12, 1955 (1955-06-12) |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick |
St. Ladislaus (Polish:Kościół Świętego Władysława) - historic church of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located inChicago,Illinois.
One of the manyPolish churches on Chicago'sNorthwest Side, it is considered to be one of the more architecturally significant religious edifices in thePortage Park area, as well as one of the key agents in the neighborhood's historical growth and development.
Founded in 1914 as aPolish parish in a stillrural area that had been annexed to the city in 1889 in advance of theWorld's Columbian Exposition. ThePolish term for the surrounding area,Władysławowo derives from thePolish name for the church'spatron,St. Ladislaus. Originally a mission ofSt. Wenceslaus, the first church, a combination church and school building, was already in place by August 1915, an impressive feat given that the parish still only numbered about 100 families in 1920. The parish was key in spurring growth in thePortage Park area as it drew in Polish immigrants from thetenements west of the city center concentrated in thePolish Downtown area ofWest Town. NearbyChopin Park stands as a testament to this, named afterPoland's most famouspianist andcomposer of the infamousFuneral March. With this development, the original pastor's residence above the Hupka (now Kopec) Funeral Chapel at 5259 W. Roscoe at the time of the building of the first church gave way to the parish plant typical ofPolish parishes in theChicago area, as first the school was enlarged and a convent as well as a rectory were bought. The cost of all these improvements totalled nearly $76,000.
Rapid growth of thePortage Park area had led to rapid growth of St. Ladislaus in the same way the parish served as a magnet for this development. By the time St. Ladislaus celebrated its silver jubilee, the parish had paid off all its debt, and a building fund for the new church had already been started. However construction was delayed by the outbreak ofWorld War II. Finally, on November 17, 1952, ground was broken for the church at the northwest corner of Long and Henderson. The cornerstone was laid on April 12, 1953, and the imposingbrick edifice was opened on June 12, 1955, for its firstMass. Today the parish numbers about 1500 families and still retains its original Polish character.
The church was designed by the firm ofLeo Strelka who designed Providence of God inPilsen and St. Bronislava onChicago's Southeast Side The church, not completed until 1955 is a simplifiedRomanesquebrick building, notable for its traditional design at a time whenModernism dominatedsacred architecture. The church's interior decoration is austere in comparison with the richornament ofChicago's more well-knownPolish Cathedrals. The church has abarrel-vault ceiling,marblepulpit,baptismal font,altars andstatues, as well as apipe organ once used at St. Helen Parish. Thecommunion rail is also constructed ofmarble with gates cast inbronze. There are two sidealtars, one dedicated toSaint Joseph, and the other to theImmaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary as well as shrines to theSacred Heart and toOur Lady of Sorrows. Therose window is considered the church's finest treasure and washes the interior of the church in a sea of light along with a series of 14 large and 14 smallerstained glass windows flanking thenave. The front'sfaçade is dominated by a centralniche with asculpture ofSaint Ladislaus looming over the building's main entrance, while abas-relief representation of theLamb of God rests above the main doorway.
The new millennium was an occasion for the church to initiate a campaign to conduct needed renovation to the church, including repairing thecampanile, repaving the parking lot and make other improvements.
