St. John the Baptist's Cross Street entrance.411 Florence Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
History
The first Catholic church built at the corner of Cross Street and Hamilton Street was a small, wood-framed structure constructed in 1845 by a small congregation made up mostly of Irish immigrants. Since then, the church has expanded to occupy an entire city block. The brick Italianate church currently at that site was begun in 1856, and the rectory just to the west in 1863.
Florence Street first hosted an elementary school since 1867, with a larger school staffed by the Sisters of Providence, including a dormitory and teaching students through high school, graduating its first class of five students in 1887. A low, modern addition running along Florence at one point housed a larger school, but now sits mostly empty. The main church building was extended to Florence in 1992.
Madonna Park, on the south side of Cross, belongs to the church.
Sources:
- Fall 2006 Ypsilanti Gleanings
