St. Paul Lutheran Church (Davenport, Iowa)
Encyclopedia
St. Paul Lutheran Church is located in central, Davenport, Iowa
, United States
. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
. The church’s original property, which subsequently housed other Protestant congregations, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983. It has since been torn down. The present complex that was built in 1952 is a contributing property
in the Vander Veer Park Historic District
.
.
The Rev. George W. Snyder was commissioned to Davenport by the board of home missions on April 1, 1879. He had spent the previous year canvassing the city with the Rev. G.W. Diveley and was able to get the signature of thirty people who wanted to belong to the new congregation. The congregation was affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran synod of Iowa on October 30, 1879, however no services or other functions were held by the congregation until a church building was constructed.
Rev. Snyder was able to raise $4,000 and secured property on the corner of Main and 14th Streets for $1,740. The first church building was built during the autumn of 1881 and the first service for the new congregation was held on January 22, 1882. The Sunday School, which was also organized that day, counted 34 students. The charter members for the new congregation included: H. B. Martin, Mrs. A. S. Martin, Jane Rhodes, Bernhard Reilley, Catherine Reilley, Anna A. Reilley, Philip Garner, Susan Garner, Lucinda Garner (who later became Mrs. John Roth) and Laura B. Snyder.
The small church was dedicated on April 30, 1882. Rev. G. W. Stelling, D.D., of Omaha, Nebraska
preached the sermon. Also assisting at the service were Rev. J. W. Goodlin, the secretary of the board of home missions, and Rev. S. D. Barnitz, the western secretary of the board. On April 1, 1891, Rev. Snyder ended his pastorate at St. Paul's to assume the charge at Council Bluffs, Iowa
. The Rev. W. Henry Blancke accepted the call on June 24, 1891. The church building became too small for the congregation so a building committee and a finance committee were appointed and plans were developed for a new church. On May 4, 1902, the sanctuary was dedicated. The new building, organ and furnishings cost $26,000. Rev. E. F. Bartholomew, D. D. from Augustana College
preached the dedication sermon in the morning and Rev. J. A. Wirt, D.D. of Des Moines, preached the evening sermon.
d roof, buttresses and a large pointed-arch window on the main façade. The 1902 structure was also designed in the Gothic Revival style. It featured a cross-gabled plan with towers tucked into the corners.
. and across Brady Street from the Outing Club
. In 1952 a new sanctuary was built in the Georgian Revival style on the corner of Lombard and Brady Street. It contains 5500 square feet (511 m²) of space.
The old sanctuary was sold to El Bethel Assembly of God Church in 1952. The property was eventually sold to Third Missionary Baptist Church. They eventually built a new sanctuary and tore the old church down. The location of the old church is now a parking lot for the church.
In 2007 the current sanctuary was built by the congregation. The $7.2 million expansion project was accomplished during the pastorate of Rev. Peter Marty and reflects the existing Georgian Revival style of the church’s complex. The architect for the project was Groth Design Group of Cedarburg, Wisconsin
and Estes Construction of Davenport was the main contractor.
The new worship space is 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) and seats 750 people. It features a tower of light, 10 stained glass windows from the 1952 sanctuary, an 8 feet (2.4 m) high by 14 feet (4.3 m) wide screen. Wood craftsman Jay Stratton, glass sculptor Mark Fowler and custom metal worker Mike Boyler created the altar, pulpit and sanctuary cross. August Peter created a bronze baptismal font bowl and M.L. Bigelow and Company from American Fork, Utah
built the pipe organ
. The old sanctuary was turned into a gathering space and a chapel.
St. Paul’s congregation, which now numbers around 3,000 people, has always been aware of its missionary responsibility. Over the years three other Lutheran churches have been founded from St. Paul’s: St. Mark in Davenport, St. James in Bettendorf
, and Faith Lutheran in Eldridge
. In 1976, the congregation developed Camp Shalom near Maquoketa, Iowa
. In more recent years it houses a Pastoral Residency Program to assist newly-called pastors in the ELCA.
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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...
. The church’s original property, which subsequently housed other Protestant congregations, was 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...
in 1983. It has since been torn down. The present complex that was built in 1952 is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
in the Vander Veer Park Historic District
Vander Veer Park Historic District
The Vander Veer Park Historic District is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Over its area, in 1985 it included 66 contributing buildings, 2 other contributing structures, one contributing site and one contributing object.The historic district...
.
Development of the Lutheran Church in Davenport
The Lutheran Church was the last mainline Protestant congregation to organize in Davenport. Early attempts were made among the German immigrants, but they were met with only minimal success. In 1861 a German Lutheran minister was sent to Davenport. A year later he started organizing First German Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church and a building was erected in 1866. Theological disagreements erupted within the congregation and the pastor and a group of parishioners left to form Trinity German Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1869. They affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Zion languished until a new wave of German immigration came into the city in the 1870s. They continued German language services until World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
St. Paul’s English Lutheran Church
There is some evidence that early in the 1850s there were efforts to establish an English Lutheran Church as well. Property had been acquired in Green’s second addition to the city of Davenport by the trustees of the First English Lutheran Church. There was a stipulation that a two-story building, no less than 40 by 70 feet (21.3 m) be constructed on the property. The condition was not met and the property was forfeited. The Davenport banking firm of Cook & Sargent was involved in the transaction.The Rev. George W. Snyder was commissioned to Davenport by the board of home missions on April 1, 1879. He had spent the previous year canvassing the city with the Rev. G.W. Diveley and was able to get the signature of thirty people who wanted to belong to the new congregation. The congregation was affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran synod of Iowa on October 30, 1879, however no services or other functions were held by the congregation until a church building was constructed.
Rev. Snyder was able to raise $4,000 and secured property on the corner of Main and 14th Streets for $1,740. The first church building was built during the autumn of 1881 and the first service for the new congregation was held on January 22, 1882. The Sunday School, which was also organized that day, counted 34 students. The charter members for the new congregation included: H. B. Martin, Mrs. A. S. Martin, Jane Rhodes, Bernhard Reilley, Catherine Reilley, Anna A. Reilley, Philip Garner, Susan Garner, Lucinda Garner (who later became Mrs. John Roth) and Laura B. Snyder.
The small church was dedicated on April 30, 1882. Rev. G. W. Stelling, D.D., of Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
preached the sermon. Also assisting at the service were Rev. J. W. Goodlin, the secretary of the board of home missions, and Rev. S. D. Barnitz, the western secretary of the board. On April 1, 1891, Rev. Snyder ended his pastorate at St. Paul's to assume the charge at Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
. The Rev. W. Henry Blancke accepted the call on June 24, 1891. The church building became too small for the congregation so a building committee and a finance committee were appointed and plans were developed for a new church. On May 4, 1902, the sanctuary was dedicated. The new building, organ and furnishings cost $26,000. Rev. E. F. Bartholomew, D. D. from Augustana College
Augustana College (Illinois)
Augustana College is a private liberal arts college located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. The college enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Covering of hilly, wooded land, Augustana is adjacent to the Mississippi River...
preached the dedication sermon in the morning and Rev. J. A. Wirt, D.D. of Des Moines, preached the evening sermon.
Historic Church
Architecturally, the older church, which was attached to the newer church was a Gothic Revival structure. It featured a simple rectangular form with a steep pitched front-gableGable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof, buttresses and a large pointed-arch window on the main façade. The 1902 structure was also designed in the Gothic Revival style. It featured a cross-gabled plan with towers tucked into the corners.
St. Paul Lutheran Church
By the middle of the 20th century the congregation outgrew its facilities yet again. This time the congregation chose to relocate further north and acquired property across Lombard Street from Vander Veer ParkVander Veer Botanical Park
The Vander Veer Botanical Park is a botanical garden in the Vander Veer Park Historic District of Davenport, Iowa. It is believed to be one of the first botanical parks west of the Mississippi River. The park was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties on August 4, 1993.Vander Veer...
. and across Brady Street from the Outing Club
Outing Club
The Outing Club is located in the central part of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977. It is a part of the Vander Veer Park Historic District, which is also on the national register....
. In 1952 a new sanctuary was built in the Georgian Revival style on the corner of Lombard and Brady Street. It contains 5500 square feet (511 m²) of space.
The old sanctuary was sold to El Bethel Assembly of God Church in 1952. The property was eventually sold to Third Missionary Baptist Church. They eventually built a new sanctuary and tore the old church down. The location of the old church is now a parking lot for the church.
In 2007 the current sanctuary was built by the congregation. The $7.2 million expansion project was accomplished during the pastorate of Rev. Peter Marty and reflects the existing Georgian Revival style of the church’s complex. The architect for the project was Groth Design Group of Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Cedarburg is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States with Cedar Creek running through it. The city is bordered by the Village of Grafton to the east and the Town of Cedarburg elsewhere...
and Estes Construction of Davenport was the main contractor.
The new worship space is 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) and seats 750 people. It features a tower of light, 10 stained glass windows from the 1952 sanctuary, an 8 feet (2.4 m) high by 14 feet (4.3 m) wide screen. Wood craftsman Jay Stratton, glass sculptor Mark Fowler and custom metal worker Mike Boyler created the altar, pulpit and sanctuary cross. August Peter created a bronze baptismal font bowl and M.L. Bigelow and Company from American Fork, Utah
American Fork, Utah
American Fork is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, at the foot of Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Range, north of Utah Lake. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 26,263 at the 2010 census, nearly a 20% growth since the 2000 census...
built the pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
. The old sanctuary was turned into a gathering space and a chapel.
St. Paul’s congregation, which now numbers around 3,000 people, has always been aware of its missionary responsibility. Over the years three other Lutheran churches have been founded from St. Paul’s: St. Mark in Davenport, St. James in Bettendorf
Bettendorf, Iowa
Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Bettendorf is the fifteenth largest city in the U.S. state of Iowa and the fourth largest city in the "Quad Cities". As of the 2010 United States Census the population grew to 33,217. Bettendorf is one of the Quad Cities, along with...
, and Faith Lutheran in Eldridge
Eldridge, Iowa
Eldridge is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,651 at the 2010 census; Eldridge is a part of the Quad Cities metropolitan area and is considered a suburb.-History:...
. In 1976, the congregation developed Camp Shalom near Maquoketa, Iowa
Maquoketa, Iowa
Maquoketa is a city in Clinton and Jackson counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Located on the Maquoketa River, it is the county seat of Jackson County....
. In more recent years it houses a Pastoral Residency Program to assist newly-called pastors in the ELCA.