Saint Paul Catholic Church / Saint Paul Rectory and Parish House

By the 1790s, French priests were ministering to farmers living along Lake St. Clair. In 1825 Father Francis Badin dedicated a log church to Saint Paul near the lake in present-day Grosse Pointe Shores. In 1850 a frame chapel was erected on the current site. Built in the 1890´s, during Father John Elsen´s pastorate, the present French Gothic-inspired church was designed by Detroit architect Harry J. Rill. The first mass held in the church was Father Elsen´s funeral in 1899. Saint Paul Rectory and Parish House Saint Paul Rectory, which reflects Neo-Tudor and Arts and Crafts design elements, was built in 1911. The Parish House was built around 1900 as the home of former (1876-77) Detroit Mayor Alexander Lewis. Stove manufacturer Edwin S. Barbour acquired the house in 1913. In 1925, according to plans by Detroit architect Robert O. Derrick, he renovated the house divesting it of its Neo-classical elements. Barbour´s heir sold the estate to Saint Paul Parish in 1959.