Christ Church Lutheran (Minneapolis)

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Christ Church Lutheran (Carol M. Highsmith, date unknown)
View into the nave (Carol M. Highsmith, 2011)

Christ Church Lutheran is a parish of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) located on 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis , Minnesota . It was founded in 1911 as the parish of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod . However, she broke away from this in the 1970s due to a dispute that led to the establishment of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches . The parish is best known for the church building, which is entered on the National Register of Historic Places .

Building

The church building was planned by the Saarinen and Saarinen architectural office, a partnership between Eliel Saarinen (1873–1950) and Eero Saarinen (1910–1961). The carved stone tablets were created by William M. McVey (1922–1976). The church was consecrated in 1949 and was recognized as an architectural masterpiece from the start. It is considered an early example of modern church architecture.

The parish decided on the design when it turned out that a traditional neo-Gothic structure would be too expensive. In 1946, the new pastor, William A. Buege, contacted Father Saarinen, who was then chairman of the Cranbrook Academy of Art , and convinced him to accept the assignment. Saarinen designed the First Christian Church in Columbus in 1941 , which he used as a model here. It was Eliel Saarinen's last building; he died the year after the inauguration. At the opening, Saarinen stated that “if a building is honest, then the architecture is religious” .

An extension with a school building was planned under the supervision of the son Eero Saarinen by his former employee Glen Paulsen and completed in 1962 - the extension was also the last project of the son, who died in 1961. It is connected to the church building by an archway and built around a courtyard. The design of the extension was made in such a way that it harmonizes with and complements the previous building.

The building was awarded the American Institute of Architects with the Twenty-five Year Award in 1977 , which so far (2008) has only been given for two church buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and declared a National Historic Landmark on January 16, 2009 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Larry Millett: AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul . Minnesota Historical Society Press , 2007, ISBN 978-0-87351-540-5 , pp. 159-160 (English, Google Books ).
  2. ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Minnesota. National Park Service , accessed August 16, 2019.
  3. ↑ Kempthorne designates 9 new historic landmarks ( English ) In: Yahoo News . Associated Press . January 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved on December 17, 2010.
  4. ^ Rochelle Olson: Landmark church takes its place in history ( English ) Star Tribune. January 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved on December 17, 2010.

Web links

Commons : Christ Church Lutheran  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 44 ° 56 ′ 37 ″  N , 93 ° 13 ′ 24 ″  W.