- Christ Church Lutheran (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
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Christ Church Lutheran
An early evening photo of Christ Church Lutheran.Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Coordinates: 44°56′37″N 93°13′24″W / 44.94361°N 93.22333°WCoordinates: 44°56′37″N 93°13′24″W / 44.94361°N 93.22333°W Built: 1948 Architect: Eliel Saarinen NRHP Reference#: 01000654 [1] Significant dates Added to NRHP: June 20, 2001 Designated NHL: January 16, 2009[2] Christ Church Lutheran is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) located at 3244 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was established in 1911 as a congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, but left that group in the 1970s as part of a dispute that led to the formation of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, which in turn was among the founding denominations of the ELCA. Along with its ministries, the congregation is known for the architecture of its buildings, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The current pastor of the congregation is the Rev. Kristine L. Carlson. It is also served by its cantors, the Rev. Robert Buckley Farlee and the Rev. Martin A. Seltz.
Structures
The worship building was designed by the firm Saarinen and Saarinen, a father and son partnership of Eliel Saarinen (1873-1950) and Eero Saarinen (1910-1961), the project was Eliel Saarinen's last completed building. The sculptured stone panels were designed by William M. McVey (1922-1976). It was dedicated in 1949, and was acknowledged as an architectural masterpiece from the day it opened. As an early, outstanding example of modern religious architecture in the United States, it was widely published in the architectural, popular, and religious press, and provided inspiration for countless modern churches that were to be built in the 1950s and 1960s.[3]
The congregation opted to go with the design after finding that their plans for a traditional Gothic Revival building would be too costly. In 1946 a new pastor, Reverend William A. Buege, contacted the elder Saarinen, then the president of the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and convinced him to take the commission. Saarinen had designed the pioneering First Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana in 1941 and used it as a model. It was Eliel Saarinen last building, he died the following year. Upon the church's opening, Saarinen noted "if a building is honest, the architecture is religious."[3]
An addition, the education building (connected by an arcade and interior hallways) was designed under the supervision of Eero Saarinen by his former employee Glen Paulsen, and completed in 1962. By coincidence it was also Eero's last completed project, he died the year before. The addition is organized around a courtyard and was carefully designed to complement and complete their earlier worship building.[3]
In 1977, the building was the eighth recipient of the American Institute of Architects Twenty-five Year Award, one of only two places of worship to have been so honored. Notably, it was chosen for this award ahead of Mies van der Rohe's iconic Farnsworth House, though both buildings were eligible in the same year. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The entire building was named a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service by the Secretary of the Interior on January 16, 2009.[2][4][5][6]
Free architecture tours are offered to the public at 11:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of every month. Tours are led by a trained docent from the non-profit Friends of Christ Church Lutheran.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2006-03-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ a b "Interior Secretary Kempthorne Designates 9 National Historic Landmarks in 9 States". Department of the Interior. 2009-01-16. http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/011609c.html.
- ^ a b c Millett, Larry (2007). AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minnesota Historical Society Press. pp. 159–60. ISBN 0-87351-540-4.
- ^ 73 F.R. 56604
- ^ Kempthorne designates 9 new historic landmarks
- ^ Rochelle Olson, Landmark church takes its place in history, Star Tribune, January 17, 2009, Accessed January 19, 2009.
External links
- http://www.christchurchluth.org
- http://millcity.pconline.com/ccl/
- National Historic Landmark draft nomination for Christ Church Lutheran
- http://www.friendsofccl.org/
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other 
Category:National Register of Historic Places • 
Portal:National Register of Historic PlacesCategories:- National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota
- Places of worship in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Lutheran churches in Minnesota
- Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
- Churches in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Eero Saarinen structures
- Lutheran congregations established in the 20th century
- Modernist architecture in the United States
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