St. John's-St. Luke's Evangelical Church is a congregation of the United Church of Christ located at 2120 Russell Street in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.HistorySt. John's is the oldest German Protestant church in Detroit, founded in 1833 by Rev. Friedrich Schmid, who had been sent to America by the Evangelical Mission Society of Basel, Switzerland. The first worship service took place August 18th, 1833 in the carpenter shop of John Hais. Pastor Schmid served the congregation until July 1836. German was the language used exclusively in the worship service until 1938. St. John's was the base from which twelve other German Protestant churches in the city were formed. St. Luke Evangelical church was organized in 1891. St. John's and St. Luke's merged in 1969.ArchitectureThe church was originally constructed in 1874, and was designed by architect Julius Hess. The façade features a large tower on one side and a smaller tower on the other, flanking the entranceway. A large lancet window dominates the façade and a gabled vestibule fronts the gabled entrance. The exterior has been extensively altered from its original appearance. The structure of the church is brick, but in 1915 the exterior was completely covered in Formstone, a cast concrete made to resemble limestone.The interior of the church is High Victorian Gothic in design, painted white and gold with elaborate Gothic woodwork. The lighting system is historically significant, and the church features a Votteler organ.
Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church, founded in 1855, is a historic German Catholic parish with a landmark church located at 1828 Jay Street in the Eastern Market - Lafayette Park neighborhood area just outside downtown Detroit, on the city's central east side. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and deemed 'of national importance' because of its stained glass. It is one of three churches that make up Mother of Divine Mercy parish.ArchitectureThe gothic structure of the church, inspired by Himpler´s church St. Katharina (1860-1863) in Wallerfangen (Saarland), had its cornerstone laid in 1870 and was dedicated in 1873, making it one of the oldest extant churches in Detroit. Francis G. Himpler (Franz Alexander Aloysius Georg Himpler, * 14. may 1833 in Ottweiler; † 13. september 1916 in Hoboken, New Jersey), a Ottweiler (Germany)-born New York architect, designed the building which is considered one of the Midwest's best examples of Victorian Gothic architecture, especially so because the structure is effectively unaltered. The building is distinguished by its stained glass, notable in its intricate designs and wide usage. Also of note is the woodwork, statuary, and original high altar in the interior. St. Joseph's Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972; the buildings in the surrounding complex were added in 1992. The church still operates today with two Masses every Sunday and Daily Mass on certain weekdays.