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Christ Church Lutheran (Minneapolis)
Encyclopedia
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.
(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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
(ELCA) located at 3244 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. It was established in 1911 as a congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 2.3 million members, it is both the eighth largest Protestant denomination and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The 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
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches was a U.S. church body that existed from 1976 through the end of 1987. The AELC formed when approximately 250 dissident congregations withdrew from the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in 1976, and ended as an independent body when it became part...
, 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
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
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 SaarinenEliel Saarinen
Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen was a Finnish architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century....
(1873-1950) and Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
(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.
The congregation opted to go with the design after finding that their plans for a traditional Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
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
First Christian Church, Columbus, Indiana
The First Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana, was built in 1942. It was the first contemporary building in Columbus and one of the first churches in the United States to be built in a contemporary architectural style.The building, designed by Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, consists of a...
in Columbus, Indiana
Columbus, Indiana
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest...
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."
An addition, the education building (connected by an arcade and interior hallways) was designed under the supervision of Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
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.
In 1977, the building was the eighth recipient of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
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
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
by the Secretary of the Interior on January 16, 2009.
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.