Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Built/Founded: 1913
Architect: Henry A. Walsh
Architectural style: Gothic Revival

Most Blessed Sacrament parish was established in 1905 to serve Catholics in what was then the northern city limits of Detroit, but was initially plagued with financial problems. Construction of the church started in 1913, but proceeded rather slowly. The interior was finished in 1930, with the dedication of the interior on Thanksgiving of that year. Detroit had been elevated to an archdiocese in 1938, and Most Blessed Sacrament was chosen as the site of the cathedral. However, the exterior was not finished until 1951, coninciding with the 250th anniversary of Detroit's founding, with a concecration on November 17 carried on live television
Although Pope John Paul II's visit to the United States was originally scheduled to visit only areas in the south and west, Detroit's archbishop Edmund Cardinal Szoka campaigned to have him visit the area, including lobbying the pope during a visit to the Vatican City. The pope arrived in Detroit on September 18, 1987 and spoke before large crowds in Hamtramck, Hart Plaza and the Pontiac Silverdome. During John Paul II's visit, he visited guests at the cathedral and stayed at the archbishop's residence.