Services were originally to continue at the old church until the new one was completed, however Parker wanted the land sooner to expand their operations. The old church was sold to Parker, Webb & Co. A temporary building was purchased and moved to the site ground was broken in 1916, and the cornerstone for the present structure was laid down in 1917.
With the land being worth more to the meatpacking industry then it was to the parishioners, plans for a new church were drawn up in 1914, which was to be located at the corner of Grand River and Vicksburg. This location, however turned out to be less than ideal: by the early 1900's the number of meatpacking plants in the area had skyrocketed, bringing with it the sights and smells of the meat industry and an "influx of Slavic peoples and other foreigners with habits and customs out of tune with English speaking people, such as the members of Calvary Church." Work on the first permanent building started in 1887, with the new church opening on Michigan Avenue in 1888. In 1872, it was decided that a new parish should be established to serve the growing population on the west side of the city.
The school was moved to a small cottage on Michigan Avenue, and a lot was purchased on Maybury Grand and Butternut streets – approximately where I75 and I96 intersect today. The church dates back to 1868, starting out as a Mission Sunday School in a room above a grocery store on Harrison Avenue. Over its lifespan the same building might be bought and sold many times over, hosting different denominations, leaving a sometimes baffling and contradicting paper trail.Ĭalvary Presbyterian is one of those. Calvary Presbyterian / Abundant Life Christian Churchįinding reliable, accurate historic information about churches can be difficult.