When Father David Jones agreed to open the doors of St. Benedict the African Church, 6559 S. Stewart Ave., for the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Open House Chicago weekend last fall, he didn’t really know what to expect.

It was the first year the foundation had featured buildings in Englewood during the two-day free architecture festival. Jones was happy to welcome people to the church, and was told to expect maybe a couple of hundred guests.

The parish ended up with more than 2,000 visitors over the two days, including some who visited while Mass was being celebrated. Most seemed like they came from other neighborhoods, Jones said.

“Most of them stopped and stood around the perimeter of the baptismal font, forming another circle around congregation in the church,” he said. “They did stop, and I would assume they were praying with us.”

The parish ended up with some new — and a few returning — parishioners, and Jones thinks the event helped cement St. Benedict the African’s position as a gathering place for the Englewood community.

Last year, it was one of two sites Open House Chicago featured in Englewood. This year, there are four sites. 

“There’s a lot of great architecture in Englewood,” Jones said. “People don’t know about it.”

Churches form a significant percentage of the more than 200 buildings featured in Open House Chicago. This year, 23 of them are Catholic churches, shrines or chapels. With so many Catholic churches participating, the Archdiocese of Chicago is listed as a community partner for Open House Chicago.

“In many neighborhoods in Chicago, the churches really are the anchor institutions,” said Eric Rogers, interim program manager for Open House Chicago. “They’re the most prominent and architecturally interesting buildings.”

That sentiment was echoed by Nell Andrezjewski, director of religious education at St. Mary of Perpetual Help Parish, 1039 W. 32nd St., which is also participating this year. Andrezjewski also operates Catholic Church Tours, which provides tours and pilgrimages for groups and individuals.

“The highest form of architecture is the place of worship,” Andrejzewski said. “Even in cities or countries that are not Catholic or Christian, their place of worship is going to have the highest form of architecture. We have so many cultures in Chicago, and they all end up in Catholic churches in different forms.”

While Open House Chicago is an architectural festival, it can provide an opportunity for Catholics to visit churches in other neighborhoods and learn about them.
Andrezjewski said many people come to see the architecture and find themselves touched by the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Rogers said that while some churches are perennial participants, others are new this year, and the festival does not include every neighborhood every year. Some churches also decline if their schedules are too busy.

Those that do participate can set their own hours, and several choose not to be open to visitors who want a tour while services are going on. Anyone interested in visiting any of the buildings on the list should check openhousechicago.org to find out which hours they are open.

Volunteers at each building should be able to share something about the building’s history and point out a few items of interest, he said, but need not provide in-depth information.

“We say it’s like architectural speed-dating,” Rogers said.

Building owners can also use the event to raise their public profile, or even ask for donations to a building fund.

At St. Mary of Perpetual Help, visitors will be treated to the occasional organ performance, Andrejzewski said.

The most popular sites tend to be downtown, where people can visit many buildings in close proximity to one another, Rogers said. Most sites are not as publicly accessible as the churches, which are usually open to anyone, at least when there are services.

But Open House Chicago might provide a more comfortable environment for people to focus on the art and the architecture of the space without being disrespectful.

“I think it’s a great event for people to explore other neighborhoods,” Rogers said. “But it’s great for people to see what’s in their own neighborhoods.”