Church History

A Brief History of the Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church

The first Unitarians to arrive in Detroit and establish a church arrived in the 1860s with the railroad. They were Bostonians working for that railroad who brought their faith and families to Detroit and settled here, establishing a church on Woodward Avenue. Unfortunately, the widening of Woodward Avenue In 1932 displaced the Unitarians from their church home.

The first Universalists in Detroit built and dedicated the First Universalist Church in 1916. They invited the "homeless" Unitarians to temporarily share their church building, and in 1934, the two congregations merged as the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit under the ministry of Dr. Augustus Reccord. This church still exists today and was our "parent" church.

Later in the 1930s several of the UU families commuting to the downtown church from Grosse Pointe dreamed of establishing a church nearer home. Dr. Reccord was their supporter and consultant. He also provided Sunday services twice a month at various locations until a permanent minister could be called.

On March 19, 1939 some 66 men and women signed a covenant founding the Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church. The group met at the Alger House, now known as the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. The congregation quickly outgrew that space, so funds were raised and plans were prepared to build a church. World War II brought a ban on all construction projects in 1943, so a large home known as the Carter House was converted into our first permanent church home.

In 1963, the property we currently occupy was purchased, and groundbreaking for our church facility occurred in 1964. We have a lovely building on pleasing grounds that serves our spiritual and congregational life well. It is considered a local architectural landmark. It also happens to be the only church within the borders of the City of Grosse Pointe.

We have been served by eight ministers, six settled and 3 interims, including our current minister Rev. Shelley Page. It is safe to say our congregation has been regarded by members and the community at large as a beacon of liberal religion and an oasis in what historically has been a very conservative area. A telling story of this "reputation" is that during construction of our church some witty, perhaps disgruntled, neighbor changed the sign from saying "future home of the Unitarians" to "Lunitarians!"

Our congregation grew to over 250 members in the sixties and was active in the civil rights movement, bringing Dr. Martin Luther King to speak here amidst significant controversy. Like many UU churches, we suffered painful divisions over the Vietnam war. As a result we seek to engage in ethical action and distinguish that from the political. Our congregation remains active in our larger community, engaging in social justice on a local level.

This photographic history of GPUC, beginning in 1939 and ending in 1965 focuses on the property we now occupy, its development, and the construction of our facilities. Most of the original photographs included here were color transparencies ("slides"), taken by John Herrmann, who was Board President during some of this time. His wife Jean and son Edward are seen in a couple of photos. Most of the black and white construction photos were from a professional photographer. All have been scanned to digital files and restored to original quality, and are available for the first time here in chronological order.

Note: Edward Herrmann, who was a teenager at the time, went on to a career in movies and television as an adult. He is known for his portrayal of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the made-for-TV movie, Eleanor and Franklin (1976) and the sequel, Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977) (both of which earned him Best Actor Emmy nominations), as well as in the first feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical Annie (1982). Herrmann portrayed Herman Munster in the Fox telefilm Here Come The Munsters. He has been in more than 100 productions, including narration on many History Channel programs.

Our Ministerial History