Hyde Park Union Church was designated as an official Chicago landmark following approval from City Council today.

Designed by prominent architect James Gambles Rogers and located at 5600 S. Woodlawn Ave., the two-story Richardsonian Romanesque-style church was completed in 1906, with an education wing added 20 years later. Featuring rusticated masonry, a steep gabled roof, rounded windows, and corner towers, the church’s growth among Baptists in the early part of the last century was partly due to the increasing popularity of the nearby University of Chicago.

The designation protects all exterior elevations of the church, as well as the interior of the entrance vestibules and sanctuary.