The Church
As cathedrals go, it's not a very inspiring house of worship. The wood latticework on the vaulted ceiling and the marble columns and their Corinthian capitals are the church's most attractive features. Hanging from the ceiling high above the plainly decorated altar are five wide-brimmed red hats called galeros. These ceremonial hats belonged to the last five cardinals of the archdiocese and were ceremoniously hung after each cardinal's death. The late Cardinal Bernadin never got around to purchasing his galero, so church members, mindful of cathedral tradition, bought one for him after he became ill.
History
Designed by Patrick Charles Keely, the church's cornerstone was laid in 1874 but the Gothic structure wasn't finished until 1890, when the spire was completed and the wooden pillars were replaced with marble. A 1968 renovation to stem the structure's deterioration brought in designs that reflected Vatican II reforms; unfortunately, these very '60s innovations haven't stood the test of 30 years, much less hundreds.
During the Prohibition era, North Side gang leader Dion O'Banion operated a flower shop across from the cathedral. Soon after gangsters gunned down O'Banion in his shop, his successor, Hymie Weiss, met a similar fate, perishing in a hail of bullets that chipped portions of the cathedral's limestone facade.
In 1996 the city's beloved Cardinal Bernadin lay in state at Holy Name. In 1998 the cathedral appeared in the media spotlight during the wake and funeral of Chicago Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray.