Hesler Panorama, 1858: South-Southwest

South-Southwest

South-Southwest Hesler Panorama

At the other end of the block from Mechanics' Hall, at the southeast corner of Washington and LaSalle, is the First Baptist Church. Shortly after the Hesler photographs were taken, members of the congregation responded to the rising demand by business interests for real estate in this area by selling the property to the Chamber of Commerce for $65,000. They pledged a third of the proceeds to other congregations and erected a new building several blocks south and east at Wabash Avenue and Hubbard Court (now Balbo Street). The First Baptist Church could soon boast the largest membership and largest house of worship of any Protestant congregation in the West. The fire of 1871 diminished the membership, and the major fire of 1874 destroyed the new building. The site pictured above is now the home of the American National Bank Building.


	South-Southwest	Hesler Panorama
	At the other end of the block from Mechanics' Hall, at the southeast corner of Washington and LaSalle, is the First Baptist Church. Shortly after the Hesler photographs were taken, members of the congregation responded to the rising demand by business interests for real estate in this area by selling the property to the Chamber of Commerce for $65,000. They pledged a third of the proceeds to other congregations and erected a new building several blocks south and east at Wabash Avenue and Hubbard Court (now Balbo Street). The First Baptist Church could soon boast the largest membership and largest house of worship of any Protestant congregation in the West. The fire of 1871 diminished the membership, and the major fire of 1874 destroyed the new building. The site pictured above is now the home of the American National Bank Building.