June 2025.
Outside of DeKalb’s downtown, I wandered around the outskirts and documented some interesting churches, plus the city library and an abandoned train station.
First United Methodist Church
Historic postcard of the church. (eBay)
A late Gothic Revival church, I estimate that it was constructed c. 1910-1920. It was built for the congregation known as First United Methodist today, but they very recently moved to a new church building in the more rural areas of DeKalb. It sits empty today.
The building is mostly intact, but a few alterations have occurred. The front doors, which probably used to be a fancy wood design, have been replaced with metal ones:
The crenellated asymmetrical towers have had their rooflines squared off, too.
I wonder if this tracery is wood?
The rear has an octagonal apse with smaller, but still pointed, windows:
St. Mary Catholic Church
The first St. Mary’s church. (St. Mary’s website)
The St. Mary’s congregation began in 1851, as Catholics in DeKalb would hold Mass in their homes or the town hall. A wooden frame church was built in 1861, pictured above. As the parish continued to grow, a larger Gothic Revival structure was built between 1899-1901, which is the existing St. Mary’s.
The facade is built of Bedford limestone, while the stained-glass windows were imported from Germany. The rose window was destroyed in a 1973 fire and has been replaced with a duplicate. A rectory was built in 1904, since demolished, and a 1913 school exists to the north but has been altered.
The tile roof and colonnade along the left tower gives this church a bit of Renaissance flair:
First Lutheran Church
Another late Gothic Revival design, I think this one dates to the 1920s or 1930s due to its very restrained approach. The bay windows indicate Tudor influence:
Also note the little fleche along the peak of the roof.
First Church of Christ, Scientist
This little chapel was designed as a Colonial Revival Christian Science church. It was built in 1909 but has since been altered.
Haish Memorial Library
I wish I had done this one a little more justice, but this one picture is all I have. This Art Deco library was built in 1930 by Chicago architects White & Weber, using funds left by Jacob Haish in his will. A western addition was added in 1979, which might be the current larger west area, but it seems to have more modern cladding and windows. Maybe it was altered?
C&NW Depot
Shoutout to whatever railfan wrote the Wikipedia article about this one. I lazily took this picture out of the window of my car. DeKalb’s train station along the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad was built in 1891 by Charles Sumner Frost and Alfred Hoyt Granger. A Romanesque Revival design, it was mainly used for passengers. Railroad service ended in 1971 and the station was abandoned. It was used by Union Pacific for offices after they bought the line in the 1990s, but the station sits empty and boarded up today.
It’s possible that the station may be reused if Metra service is extended to DeKalb, which is planned in the future, but the county is not part of RTA (the agency that operates Metra). As it stands now, NIU runs a shuttle to Elburn station, the furthest west passenger station on the line.
Sources:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335998379471
https://www.stmarydekalb.org/history-of-st-mary-parish
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