St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Sioux City, Iowa)
Encyclopedia
St. Thomas Episcopal Church is a parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
. The church is located in Sioux City, Iowa
, United States
, at 1200 Douglas Street. The church building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
in 1857. St. Thomas Church was established two years later. A small frame church was built for the congregation on the corner of Nebraska and 7th Streets in 1860 for $1,550. By 1881 it became necessary to add on to the church, and a rectory
was built at the same time. A pipe organ
was purchased for the same price that the original church was built.
The cornerstone
for the present church was laid in 1891. The church was designed in the Romanesque Revival style by John M. Poorbaugh. The building was completed the following year and cost about $80,000 to build. The stained glass
windows from the old church were removed before the building was torn down. They were donated in 1893 to Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church
in Mapleton, Iowa
and were placed in their new church built in 1896. A new pipe organ was purchased in 1909 and the Weare Chapel was added at the same time.
In 1922 a fire from an overheated furnace caused extensive damage to the church. The building had to be rebuilt and a new organ was purchased. The church was redecorated again in 1951.
In the early 1960s, the Parish House was built and the parish acquired a new rectory. Weare Chapel was restored in 1980 under the direction of Howard Tervillian, who was Architect in Residence for the Washington National Cathedral
, in Washington, D.C.
Another renovation of the church occurred in 1982.
Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which covers all of Iowa. It is in Province VI. Its offices are in Des Moines, and it has two cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of St...
. The church is located in Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, at 1200 Douglas Street. The church building is 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...
.
History
The first Episcopalian Church service in Sioux City was conducted by a missionary from Council Bluffs, IowaCouncil 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...
in 1857. St. Thomas Church was established two years later. A small frame church was built for the congregation on the corner of Nebraska and 7th Streets in 1860 for $1,550. By 1881 it became necessary to add on to the church, and a rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
was built at the same time. A 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...
was purchased for the same price that the original church was built.
The cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
for the present church was laid in 1891. The church was designed in the Romanesque Revival style by John M. Poorbaugh. The building was completed the following year and cost about $80,000 to build. The stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows from the old church were removed before the building was torn down. They were donated in 1893 to Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church
Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church (Mapleton, Iowa)
Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church is a former parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. The historic building is located in Mapleton, Iowa, United States. The church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990...
in Mapleton, Iowa
Mapleton, Iowa
Mapleton is a city in Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,416 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mapleton is located at...
and were placed in their new church built in 1896. A new pipe organ was purchased in 1909 and the Weare Chapel was added at the same time.
In 1922 a fire from an overheated furnace caused extensive damage to the church. The building had to be rebuilt and a new organ was purchased. The church was redecorated again in 1951.
In the early 1960s, the Parish House was built and the parish acquired a new rectory. Weare Chapel was restored in 1980 under the direction of Howard Tervillian, who was Architect in Residence for the Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Another renovation of the church occurred in 1982.