860 Oak 2020

In 1927, a group of Swedish immigrants came together in their homes to form the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of Winnetka. As the congregation expanded, the need for a larger, more permanent space grew as well.

In 1932, members of the church were able to raise $8,000 to purchase the land at 860 Oak in Winnetka. Despite being the beginning of the Great Depression, a parishioner’s employer lent the church more money to build the structure that sits on that same lot today. The upper floor of the building seats 150 people and is about 1,300 square feet, and the lower level is approximately 1,400 square feet.

860 Oak, 1963.

The Evangelical Mission Covenant Church became known as “the friendly church at Oak and Birch” for the next 30 years. However, by the 1960s, the need for space was pressing again, and the congregation moved to Hibbard Road to what is now the Winnetka Covenant Church.

After the church moved out in 1963, it is unclear who moved in. In 1968, however, Temple Jeremiah used the building as a synagogue for a few years before moving to Northfield in 1972. Then, in 1973, the building became a church again. Heritage Congregational Church occupied the building until 1995.

In 1995, the church was remodeled into a single-family private residence. Since then, it has gone on and off the market over the years and has remained a private residence.