For a gallery of the stained glass, see the Emil Frei tour.

Christ Church Cathedral

Stained Glass: Emil Frei studio

Christ Church Cathedral is another church building that forms part of an impressive streetscape. The church is surrounded by a fine ensemble which includes the main public library, the elegant Shell Building with its curved Art Deco facade, and the long-suffering Lucas Garden Park. The park is one of the last remnants of the neighborhood's early days as a residential district, full of mini-mansions of the newly rich. Only the nearby Campbell House remains from those days. After years of use primarily by the homeless, the park is finally set to re-emerge as a jewel of the neighborhood with the residential transformation of Washington Avenue one block north.

The church itself went up in the 1860s, making it one of downtown's oldest surviving structures. The ornate Gothic tower is a 1911 addition, and the main building underwent various alterations around that time as well. A 1969 renovation installed a new organ, and public organ performances are now a regular occurrance here. East of the church building is a larger 1928 annex containing offices and other facilities.