Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Church ruins in Pilsen, Chicago, US
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church is a preserved church ruin in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, made up of a red-brick facade, wooden doors, and a bell tower rising about 90 feet (27 m). The interior walls are gone, leaving an open garden space enclosed by the front section that still stands.
The church was founded in 1850 by German immigrants and the building was completed in 1880 at the corner of West 19th Street and South Peoria Street. A fire in 1979 gutted the interior, and a windstorm in 1998 brought down the side walls, leaving only the facade and tower standing.
The site is commonly called the 'Ghost Church' by locals, a name that reflects its hollow facade and roofless interior open to the sky. Today the grounds have been turned into a garden where visitors walk among trees growing where pews once stood.
The ruins are visible from the street and can be viewed from outside without any entry fee; the garden area is accessible at certain times. Morning light and overcast days tend to bring out the texture of the red bricks and the details of the tower.
A charred crucifix that survived the 1979 fire is still on display at the site, kept behind a clear shield. The owner decided to preserve what remained after descendants of the original members brought him a book about the church's history.
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