St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Then and Now
1910
The original St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church was dedicated at the corner of Mackubin and Ashland on July 29, 1881. Less than twenty years later, the 600-member congregation decided that a larger church was needed. That church had been expanded four times over that period, and there was no more room to grow. In 1900 Clarence Johnston,was hired in consultation with Cass Gilbert to sketch a new building. In 1902 the cornerstone was laid, and the Pioneer Press published an account of the event, focusing on the contributions of some 400 Sunday School children. The new church, fashioned from St. Paul limestone and Bedford stone cost $75,000. An altar was supplied by Mrs. Amherst Wilder and her daughter Cornelia Day Wilder Appleton. Windows, organ, baptismal font, pews were provided by the notable donors whose names are displayed on brass plates throughout the church. In 1954 a parish house and auditorium were added.
2011
