Tour Day 2025: Suburban Sacred Spaces in Des Plaines

Join us for a tour of hidden religious gems in the northwest surburb of Des Plaines.

We will visit a pair of “sister” churches designed by prolific architect Charles Stade: Immanuel Lutheran Church; built in 1956, and St. Mary Catholic Church, built in 1970. The tour also includes All Saints Cemetery, with its sprawling New Formalist mausoleum (Harley Ellis Devereaux, 1972) and its Postmodernist outdoor crypts (Mekus Tanager, 2001). The highlight of the tour is an exclusive visit to the Carmelite monastery designed in 1959 by Gaul & Voosen for a cloistered community of religious sisters.

This event is part of Docomomo Tour Day, an annual nationwide celebration of Modern architecture and design. More information about Tour Day and other related events is available HERE.

Itinerary

We will meet at 1:30pm in the parking lot at St. Mary Catholic Church (794 Pearson St.) We’ll tour the inside of St. Mary’s, then walk one block to Immanuel Lutheran Church and visit that interior.

Next, we will drive (or carpool) to the Carmelite Monastery (949 River Rd., approximately 2.5 miles or 10 minutes away). The Carmelite Sisters are a contemplative community that limits interaction with the outside world, and most of the monastery is off-limits to the public. The Sisters have generously opened the monastery chapel for a visit.

Our final stop is All Saints Cemetery, located kitty-corner across the road from the monastery. We’ll briefly explore the open-air crypts with the mosaic campanile, then visit the enormous main mausoleum with its dramatic sunken courtyard.

Respectful interior photography is permitted at all tour sites.

Getting There

Des Plaines is located approximately 20 miles northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately 4 miles north of O’Hare International Airport. Tour participants are responsible for your own transportation. If you are driving, please park at St. Mary Catholic Church, 974 Pearson St., Des Plaines.

The Des Plaines Metra stop (Union Pacific Northwest line) is located within easy walking distance of St. Mary’s and Immanuel. We’re happy to arrange carpooling between these spots and the two other tour stops and back to the Metra station again. If you’re planning on using Metra, please email us at [email protected] after registering so we can coordinate carpool details.

And While You're in the Area...

Consider stopping at Foxtail on the Lake (1177 Howard Ave., Des Plaines) for pre-tour lunch or a post-tour drink. . . with a side of adaptive reuse. Foxtail is located in the former Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, built in 1949, and is a thoughtful re-imagining of this historic worship space.

And Last But Not Least...

Docomomo is the only nonprofit organization in the country dedicated to preserving modern architecture and design…and our local Chicago chapter is entirely volunteer-run. Your membership helps support modern preservation and advocacy across the country. Your membership also makes local events like this possible. Thank you!

Not a member? Consider joining HERE. By becoming a member, you’re joining a community of like-minded people who care deeply about the buildings, neighborhoods, and stories of the modern movement.

Host or Publisher Docomomo US/Chicago