Unlike the parish’s main web site, www.holytrinitycathedral.net, the goal of this new site is to increase awareness of the Cathedral’s historic and architectural significance and serve as a primary method of communicating restoration progress. The site features photo galleries of each major phase, historical perspective, and progress reports. Visitors can join a mailing list to receive updates and invitations to events and download information on how they can support the project.
Holy Trinity’s council members are seeking monies to supplement a grant recently awarded by Partners in Preservation, an alliance between the American Express Corporation and the National Trust for Historic Places. The grant will help fund repairs to the roof and decorative metalwork.
“Our parishioners have been very generous supporters of the Cathedral over the years,” said Holy Trinity Council Vice President and Building and Restoration Committee Chairman, Charles Fetterly. “But the scale of restoration work requires substantial funding. It is our hope that the new web site will generate additional support from the entire Orthodox community, fans of Louis Sullivan’s work, the people of Chicagoland and beyond.”
Renowned architect Louis Sullivan was asked to design the church building and its adjacent rectory after an Orthodox chapel at the Russian Empire’s exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in 1893 garnered much public interest. The church was built with funds from the Orthodox Church of Russia, Tsar Nicholas the second, and gifts from many wealthy Chicagoans, including Charles R. Crane and Harold McCormick. “Sullivan felt so strongly about the project that he donated to the Cathedral more than half his fee,” said Archpriest John S. Adamcio, the Cathedral’s dean.
Holy Trinity was consecrated in 1903 and became a cathedral in 1922. In the late 1970’s the Cathedral and rectory were listed on the National Register and received official designation as a Chicago Landmark.
Restoration plans for the Cathedral were drawn from a 2003 building study by architectural firm, Johnson-Lasky. Recommendations were made to restore the octagonal dome, stucco, ornate metal cornices, roofing and in-laid gutters, the stained-glass windows, bell tower and the front entrance canopy; the defining architectural detail of the Cathedral.
Father Adamcio added, “We feel blessed to have a temple of such greatness and realize that it must be shared with the entire community. We are committed not only to the proper restoration of the Cathedral, but also to a constant examination of how we can serve those within our parish and the community.”
Those interested in learning more about the restoration project are encouraged to visit www.friendsofholytrinity.com or call the Cathedral at 773-486-6064.
Holy Trinity is the See Cathedral of His Eminence, the Most Reverend JOB, Archbishop of Chicago and the Diocese of the Midwest, Orthodox Church in America. It serves as a spiritual home to individuals and families living in the surrounding Ukranian Village/Wicker Park community, Chicago and its suburbs.
