Remembering the Rev. George Lane and the importance of preserving houses of worship

The Rev. George A Lane outside First Baptist Congregational Church, 1613 W. Washington Blvd. (Dom Najolia/Sun Times)

Long before landmark Pilgrim Baptist Church burned down, and decades prior to the recent mass closings of the city’s Catholic church parishes, the Rev. George Lane encouraged people to recognize the architectural importance of Chicago’s houses of worship.

And the Jesuit priest did more than talk.