Bishop Gallagher was eager to establish churches in areas that were developing. Bishop Gallagher pushed the congregation to have another church built. Father John Koelzer was asked to start a sister parish to St. Bernard's Church in the developing area to the north of it, a parish that would become St. Margaret Mary Church. (Ref: Terre Haute Tribune, July 9, 1977)
St. Margaret Mary was established in 1923 as a Catholic church.. The church was both designed by Donaldson & Meier as a brick building. Father Koelzer remained as pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church until 1938. (Ref: Seasons of Grace: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit)
St. Margaret Mary Church was built as a square C-shape building in similar for to a U-shape/horseshoe building. St. Margaret Mary Church is an example of Spanish Colonial style building revival. The building itself was 2 story a building measuring at 80 feet x 120 feet.
Many Italians and Sicilians made up the congregation of St. Margaret Mary Church. Hence the huge Italian-American population. (Ref: Catholic Churches of Detroit)
St. Margaret Mary Church closed in 1970 due to the parish shrinking. The parish had shrunk even further to a mere 83 members by then. The building was due for many costly repairs. The church was abandoned in 1973. (Ref: http://www.bishopgallagher.org/2012/02/heritage-lost-st-margaret-mary-school-detroit.html)
The church itself became a victim of arson sometime in 2012. Arson damage prevented the members from using the building anymore after the year 2012 and has been vacant ever since. Windows were boarded up tightly with plywood. (Ref: https://www.nailhed.com/2015/07/wherever-two-or-three-are-gathered-in.html)
St. Margaret Mary Church is located at 5095 Lemay Street, Detroit, Michigan, US 48213.
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