St. James Cathedral is the mother church of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America Diocese of Chicago in Chicago , Illinois . The cathedral stands at the corner of Huron and Wabash streets . It is the oldest church of the Anglican Communion and Episcopal tradition in the Chicago area , having been founded in 1834 . Originally built as a parish church , that building was mostly destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire . Only the bell tower survived , and this was incorporated into the rebuilt church , including the soot-stained stones around the top of the tower which remain black today . St. James received the status of cathedral in 1928 after the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul was destroyed in a fire in 1921 , but the arrangement was terminated in 1931 . On May 3 , 1955 , St. James was again designated the cathedral and was formally set apart on June 4 , 1955 . The church is led by the Episcopal Bishop of Chicago
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
St. James Cathedral (Chicago)