North Lawndale’s Pentecostal Church of Holiness was approved as an official City of Chicago landmark by City Council today, becoming the fifth designation within the community.

Located at 4208 W. 15th St. and originally named Our Lady of Lourdes church, the Romanesque Revival-style building was designed by architect Louis Guenzel in 1932 for a predominantly Czech-speaking parish.

Over the ensuing decades, Our Lady of Lourdes became a predominantly African-American parish. In 2006, the building was sold and operated as a Baptist church. In 2016, it was purchased by the Pentecostal Church of Holiness led by Pastor Dr. Chaun L. Johnson.

Today, the church is committed to serving local residents and strengthening the neighborhood.

The designation will protect the building’s exterior elevations and adjacent rectory from demolition or significant alteration.

North Lawndale’s other official landmarks include Stone Temple Baptist Church, the Jewish People’s Institute, the Five Houses on Avers District, and the Sears Roebuck and Co. District.

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