Woodward Presbyterian, 2012

Philip Jarmain grew up near London, Ontario, with part of his childhood spent in Switzerland and Ireland. There were also many family trips to Mexico. His mother is a textile artist and fathers an entrepreneur. A childhood love of storytelling led to early fascination with film, photography and cameras. dShort dramas shot with an 8 mm wind-up camera were a passion. Later, his training was in film (Vancouver Film School), and for some years he worked in lighting for feature films and episodic television, and after that as stills photographer for film.

While establishing himself as a full time artist in photography, Jarmain supports himself as a commercial photographer specializing in conceptual advertising, based in Vancouver, where he lives, and Toronto. In this area he is a recipient of multiple Lürzers Archive and Communication Arts awards as well as other international honors.

Woodward Avenue Presbyterian stands tall on what is nicknamed Detroit’s Piety Hill along Woodward Avenue, a striking edifice covered in dirt and soot. It was one of the largest Presbyterian churches in the state at its peak, in terms of membership. Detroit continued to grow after the turn of the 20th century, and Woodward Avenue Presbyterian grew on what was the outskirts of the city at the time. Starting in 1908, the congregation built membership and funds to build its large building at Woodward and W Philadelphia by 1910, on donated land.  By 1911, the church was opened, designed by Sydney Rose Badgley. Membership was 742 by the end of the year. Design in the Akron Plan style, the church was a large imposing structure, with gables and large steps fronting Woodward, with a large octagonal lantern topping the sanctuary. Inside, eight chandeliers light the space, which encompasses pews and a large wood curving balcony that encircles the altar. A large pipe organ flanks the side of the altar, a gift from Katherine McGregor, who also donated the land. Ten years after opening, the church swelling to over 2,200 members. Funds were solicited to renovate the interior in 1929, which remain today. By the 1950s, church membership was beginning to leave for the suburbs, and plans were made to move the congregation to purchased land in Southfield. The congregation ultimately decided to remain in the city, but began to decline in membership. By 1971, the church was just above 400 members. In 1981, the church voted to merge with another local Presbyterian church that was also experiencing a loss of membership and funds. The membership at the time was just 485, by 1991 it was 210. It became clear the building could not be supported with the current membership, and the pastor of the church had different ideals not of the presbytery. In 1993, an agreement was reached to quit claim the deed to the newly formed “Woodward Avenue Protestant Church of Christ.” The small congregation struggled on, with the end coming in 2005, the building now being home to “Abyssinia Interdenominational Church”. The pastor had died. A new congregation bought the building, but no work has been performed, and the building has showed up on the county tax foreclosure list. Besides appearing in many movies, nothing has been done to the decaying building.