Kenwood United Church of Christ came into being in 1885 under the name Kenwood Evangelical Church. A small faithful group of people from various denominations came together to organize The Lakeside Sunday School. They broke ground on their first meeting house on April 9, 1885, at the intersection of Woodlawn and Lake Avenue, near 45th Street. Membership increased rapidly, so a large wing was added and named the Kenwood Chapel. The neighborhood was ripe for a church, so on November 17, 1885, the Kenwood Evangelical Church was born with 37 members. On November 26, 1887, the cornerstone of the present building was laid, designed in the Romanesque style. It is a Chicago landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
