St. James Cathedral is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, a designation it has held since 1955. Its congregation, organized in 1834 by Juliette Kinzie, is the oldest Episcopal congregation in the Chicago area; the church survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 with only its stone walls, bell tower, and Civil War memorial left standing. Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln worshipped there in November 1860, weeks after his election as president.