After returning to Chicago, Brinkmann made a name for himself designing churches, including St. Josaphat's, St. Michael's in the South Chicago neighborhood of Chicago near the Indiana border, St. Mary's in Buffalo Grove, and, most notably, the mausoleum and chapel for the Archbishops of Chicago in Mount Carmel Cemetery.
He was one of the three architects involved in the design of Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica.