After visiting the Dana-Thomas House, architecture fans should face east on Lawrence and look up. The yellow stone cross visible above the rooftops a few blocks away tops the central spire of Springfield's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The church is situated between the school and convent on one side and the rectory on the other, all executed in the same deep yellow stone. The imposing facade is Greek Revival, and when I walked up the steps in the middle of the day (on a Wednesday), the doors were open. The sanctuary is expansive and as opulently decorated as any of the great churches in Chicago. Marble is everywhere, from the wainscoting, to the niches, to that which frames the icon behind the altar. The stations of the cross are done in mosaic, but the most striking part of the church are the windows. Light floods into the tall, narrow windows showing the vivid colors of the images.
Even though services weren't scheduled when I visited, there were several people seated around the church having quiet moments to themselves. More people came in while I was there, so it seems that the church is commonly open, but that visitors should enter quietly and move through the church unobtrusively and respectfully. read more