North Christian Church
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox NRHP The North Christian Church is a former church building at 850 Tipton Lane in Columbus, Indiana, United States. Designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1964, the structure originally housed the North Christian Church, a congregation of the Disciples of Christ. The interior designer Alexander Girard, the landscape architect Dan Kiley, and Saarinen's associate Kevin Roche assisted with various parts of the design. The building has been owned by the Bartholomew County Public Library since 2024. The design has received praise over the years, particularly for its spire and iconography, and it was frequently compared to the First Christian Church, designed by Saarinen's father Eliel Saarinen. In addition, the building is designated as a National Historic Landmark.
The church building is set on Template:Convert grounds designed by Kiley. The grounds include a berm surrounding the building, with entrances accessed by driveways to the west and east, as well as various trees arranged across the site. The building itself has a hexagonal floor plan. Above a glass curtain wall, ribs divide a slate roof into six sections, supporting a central metal spire that is Template:Convert high. The base of the spire includes an oculus that admits light inside. The interior, designed by Girard, is split across two main levels, accessed by a narthex on an intermediate level. The lower level contains classrooms, an auditorium, a kitchen, and a baptistery. The bowl-shaped sanctuary, on the upper story, consists of a central Communion table, surrounded by pews on five sides and a pulpit, organ, and choir loft on the sixth side.
The North Christian Church congregation was founded in late 1955 by forty-three former members of the First Christian Church. The congregation initially met in various places across Columbus; one of its early members, the industrialist J. Irwin Miller, helped the congregation acquire a plot of land in 1958. After interviewing various architects, the congregation's building committee hired Saarinen in 1959, and the plans were finalized shortly before his death two years later. A groundbreaking ceremony took place in 1962, and the building hosted its first service on March 8, 1964. Over the years, the congregation made numerous modifications to the building and expanded the grounds. By the early 21st century, the congregation faced dwindling membership and was unable to maintain its building. The congregation was disbanded on July 16, 2022, and the Bartholomew County Public Library took over the structure two years later, intending to renovate it into a library.
Site
The North Christian Church building is located at 850 Tipton Lane in Columbus, Indiana, United States.<ref name="Ladwig 2012">Template:Cite web</ref> The Template:Convert site is flat and sits roughly between U.S. Route 31 to the north, Home Avenue to the east, Tipton Lane to the south, and Sycamore Street to the west.<ref name="NPS p. 4">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="PP p. 19">Template:Harvnb</ref> Due to the area's street grid, Tipton Lane is split into two offset sections at Sycamore Street. Just north of the T-intersection with the eastern section of Tipton Lane, Sycamore Street turns west, becoming the western section of Tipton Lane.<ref name="The Republic 1958a">Template:Cite web</ref> Sycamore Street does not intersect U.S. 31,<ref name="The Republic 1958a" /> though there was a proposal in 1960 to extend Sycamore Street to U.S. 31, which would have cut through the property.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="The Columbus Herald 1960">Template:Cite web</ref> The surrounding area consists mostly of low-density residences.<ref name="PP p. 19" /> Before the church building was constructed, the western part of the site was a field, while the eastern part was a forest.<ref name="NPS p. 6">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The grounds were designed by Dan Kiley,<ref name="Wooten c476">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Fletcher p. 267">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="AR p. 187">Template:Harvnb</ref> who had worked with the church building's architect Eero Saarinen at the Miller House and Irwin Union Bank in Columbus and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.<ref name="Merkel p. 157">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Iovine d24124">Template:Cite news</ref> The former North Christian Church congregation had purchased the western portion of the property first, followed later by land to the east.<ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref name="PP p. 30">Template:Harvnb</ref> Kiley was involved with both the original landscape design and subsequent modifications. The final landscape design dates from 1974, three years after the final piece of property was acquired.<ref name="PP p. 30" /> The landscape design was intended to limit observers' views of the building before they approached it,<ref name="TCLF g549" /> though the design had been diluted by the late 1970s, when a neighbor built a brick house right in front of the church building.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Berm and driveways
The church building is near the site's western boundary and is surrounded by a Template:Convert berm.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP pp. 19–20">Template:Harvnb</ref> When the building opened, the berm was nicknamed the Mount of Expectation, since it was supposed to give the feeling that something significant would happen to congregants attending services there.<ref name="The Republic 1964a">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Englehart 1964">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="The Daily Reporter 1965">Template:Cite web</ref> Moats run along the berm to the north and south, letting natural light into the building.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP pp. 19–20" /> Each moat extends Template:Convert outward from the building's base and contains various plantings.<ref name="PP p. 20">Template:Harvnb</ref> Vehicle drop-offs, above the berm, adjoin entrances on the western and eastern elevations of the building.<ref name="NPS pp. 5–6">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="PP pp. 19–20" /> Stairs descend from both drop-offs to the entrances,<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP pp. 19–20" /> and further steps descend into the moats.<ref name="PP p. 20" /><ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> There is also a ventilation shaft near the western entrance.<ref name="PP p. 20" />
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A driveway leads from the curve where Sycamore Street becomes Tipton Lane, near the southwest corner of the site.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /> East of the building, a pair of one-way driveways leads from Tipton Lane,<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP p. 19" /> ending at a parking lot east of the building.<ref name="NPS pp. 5–6" /><ref name="PP p. 31">Template:Harvnb</ref> The eastern driveways travel through a grove of native hardwoods,<ref name="NPS pp. 5–6" /><ref name="TCLF g549">Template:Cite web</ref> planted so that visitors on the driveways cannot see the building until they reach the parking lot.<ref name="TCLF g549" /><ref name="PP p. 31" /> The parking lot itself is divided into four sections by Template:Convert hedges made of arborvitae, and there are additional hedges surrounding the parking lot on all sides except the west,<ref name="NPS pp. 5–6" /> concealing parked cars from view.<ref name="Spraker 1980">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Anderson Daily Bulletin q586">Template:Cite web</ref> The layout of the hedges evokes the pews in traditional churches.<ref name="Ladwig 2012" /> Both the western driveway and the parking lot lead to one-way loops, which connect with the vehicle drop-offs.<ref name="NPS pp. 5–6" /> A pathway leads from the parking lot to the steps outside the main entrance, passing through the vehicle drop-off.<ref name="TCLF g549" /><ref name="PP p. 31" />
Other landscape features
The site had previously been a field, and all of the trees there were added as part of Kiley's landscape design.<ref name="Fletcher p. 267" /> Two parallel rows of maple trees, planted in the shape of offset dashed lines, run along Tipton Lane on the southern boundary of the site.<ref name="NPS p. 6" /> The maple trees form an allée that surrounds the property.<ref name="PP p. 31" /><ref name="TCLF g549" /> The entrances on the western and eastern elevations are flanked by dwarf crabapple trees.<ref name="NPS p. 6" /><ref name="Fletcher p. 267" /> Adjoining the northern and southern elevations, the moats have myrtle trees, and there is a magnolia grove beyond. The berms on these elevations have grass plantings, which replaced the original cotoneaster and yew plants.<ref name="NPS p. 6" /> Kiley's landscape design retained some trees on the easternmost part of the site, which already existed when the church building was built.<ref name="McClure 2015">Template:Cite web</ref>
Early plans called for memorial plaques to be embedded into the berm, with each plaque honoring a deceased congregant.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /><ref name="The Daily Reporter 1965" /> Southeast of the church building is a memorial garden planted in 1995,<ref name="PP p. 20" /><ref name="TCLF g549" /> with 43 trees representing the original members of the congregation.<ref name="TCLF g549" /> The garden, designed by Todd Williams, contains wooden plaques and a bench. The original plans called for a sculpture and a wall made of slate, which were never built.<ref name="PP p. 20" />
Architecture
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The North Christian Church was designed by Eero Saarinen and Associates,<ref name="AR p. 187" /> with Eero Saarinen as primary architect.<ref name="Spiselman n169" /><ref name="PA6 p. 57" /> Alexander Girard was responsible for many of the interior furnishings,<ref name="AR p. 187" /><ref name="Shaw p102">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AR p. 190">Template:Harvnb</ref> including objects used for liturgy.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /><ref name="NPS p. 5" /> Van Zelm, Heywood & Shadford received the mechanical engineering contract, while Henry Pfisterer received the structural engineering contract.<ref name="AR p. 187" /><ref name="PP p. 16">Template:Harvnb</ref> Other contractors included acoustic consultant Bolt, Beranek & Newman, food-service contractor Howard L. Post, and lighting consultant Stanley McCandless.<ref name="AR p. 187" /> Repp and Mundt were the church building's general contractors.<ref name="AR p. 187" /><ref name="The Republic 1962" />
The building's footprint is hexagonal and is stretched along a west–east axis.<ref name="PP p. 19" /><ref name="Fletcher p. 259" /> In designing the building, Saarinen wanted to create a modern-styled building that was dominated by its sanctuary, as in traditional churches.<ref name="Maidenberg b585">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Saarinen 1968 88" /><ref name="AR p. 186">Template:Harvnb</ref> He believed that modern churches were not as grand as traditional churches,<ref name="Princeton Daily Clarion e411">Template:Cite web</ref> and that secondary spaces such as Sunday schools, gymnasiums, and kitchens detracted from the significance of the church building itself.<ref name="Saarinen 1968 88" /><ref name="AR p. 186" /><ref name="Merkel p. 159" /> To emphasize the sanctuary, Saarinen placed most of the rooms in the basement, leaving only the sanctuary above ground.<ref name="AR p. 186" /><ref name="Merkel p. 159" /><ref name="Fletcher p. 260" /> The shape was inspired by the Jewish Star of David, an allusion to how the Christian faith was derived from Judaism.<ref name="Thomas n129">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Block 1969">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="PA6 p. 65">Template:Harvnb</ref> The North Christian Church was built for, and used by, a congregation of the same name that disbanded in 2022.<ref name="The Republic 2022" />
The North Christian Church is one of seven buildings in Columbus designated as National Historic Landmarks. The others are The Republic Newspaper Office, the Mabel McDowell Adult Education Center, the Irwin Union Bank, the Miller House, the First Christian Church, and the First Baptist Church.<ref name="Spiselman n169">Template:Cite web</ref> Of these buildings, the North Christian Church is one of three designed by Saarinen,<ref name="Spiselman n169" /><ref name="PA6 p. 57">Template:Harvnb</ref> the others being the Irwin Union Bank and Miller House, all three of which were commissioned by the local businessman J. Irwin Miller.<ref name="Spiselman n169" /><ref name="Leslie b467">Template:Cite journal</ref> The North Christian Church building is also one of several modernist public buildings that Miller commissioned in the town,<ref name="Apple y679">Template:Cite web</ref> and, along with a 1952 cottage in Canada, one of four buildings that Saarinen designed for Miller.<ref name="Shaw h061">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="PA6 p. 59">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Exterior
The church building's basement is slightly below the site's original grade but is almost completely surrounded by the concrete berm,<ref name="PP p. 19" /> leaving only the roof and spire visible.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="Merkel p. 159">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Fletcher p. 260">Template:Harvnb</ref> Saarinen was inspired by the steep steps at Angkor Wat and Borobudur, where visitors had to interact with the architecture and work to reach the sanctuary. He thought that building an entire church on one level made religion "too easy" and detracted from the spiritual experience of going to church. Therefore, he placed the sanctuary above the berm and basement.<ref name="Merkel p. 159" /><ref name="Saarinen 1968 88">Template:Harvnb</ref> Saarinen wrote that "you should have to work for it and it should be a special thing", referencing how congregants had to climb up the berm before climbing back down.<ref name="Saarinen 1968 88" /><ref name="Fletcher p. 260" /><ref name="PA6 p. 66">Template:Harvnb</ref> The design also gave the impression that the sanctuary was floating above the basement.<ref name="Fletcher p. 260" />
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On the first floor, the facade is a curtain wall composed of single-layered glazed panels separated by wooden mullions.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP p. 20" /> The glass panels are Template:Convert tall<ref name="NPS p. 4" /> and are separated into Template:Convert bays.<ref name="PP p. 20" /> Transom bars run horizontally across each bay approximately Template:Convert above grade. The windows on the curtain wall cannot be opened.<ref name="PP pp. 22–23">Template:Harvnb</ref> Each corner of the hexagon has a steel buttress, which is welded to a concrete base and flares outward as it ascends.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP p. 19" /> These buttresses contain downspouts that collect water from the roof gutters, emptying into concrete drainage basins around the building.<ref name="PP p. 19" /> The main entrance is on the east, where four double doors lead into a vestibule; a side entrance to the west leads to the baptistry in the basement.<ref name="PP p. 22">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Roof and spire
The eaves, which form the roof's perimeter, extend about Template:Convert from the facade and are low to the ground.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP p. 20" /> The lead-coated copper fascia above the eaves is sloped upward,<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="Merkel p. 160">Template:Harvnb</ref> with a copper gutter concealed behind it.<ref name="PP p. 19" /> The soffit beneath the eaves is made of plaster and slopes down to about Template:Convert above grade.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /> The roof itself is divided into six sections, which are clad in blue-black slate shingles, sloping upward toward the center of the building.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP p. 19" /> Each section of the roof is separated by a steel rib with a copper cladding.<ref name="Fletcher p. 259" /><ref name="Merkel p. 160" /> The ribs converge at an oculus opening at the center of the roof,<ref name="PP p. 19" /><ref name="Organ Atlas 2007">Template:Cite magazine</ref> just below the church building's spire.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="Merkel p. 159" /> The oculus opening contains bells, which are visible between each of the ribs.<ref name="PP p. 19" /> The roof gave the impression of a "steel hat sitting over a concrete bowl", as the building's structural engineer Henry Pfisterer put it.<ref name="AR p. 188">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The spire itself measures Template:Convert tall<ref name="Wooten c476" /><ref name="Thomas n129" /> and, when the church building was completed, was visible several miles away.<ref name="Lee r270">Template:Cite web</ref> The spire was intended to evoke similar spires in older Christian churches, which usually functioned as the focal points of these buildings.<ref name="PA6 p. 65" />
On this site, with this kind of central plan, I think I would like to make the church really all one form: all the tower. There would be the gradual building up of the sheltering, hovering planes becoming the spire. The spire would not be put on a box or come up from the sides of the roof, as we did at Stephens College. The whole thing, all the planes, would grow up organically into the spire.<ref name="AR p. 190" /><ref name="Saarinen 1968 91">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The spire is made of copper and is coated with a substance to prevent it from oxidizing and turning green; instead, the copper was intended to turn gray as it aged, matching the roof color.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> From the outside of the building, the spire symbolized reaching upward to God.<ref name="Merkel pp. 159–160" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Saarinen wanted the building's design to remove man from the earthly world, so instead of anchoring the building to the ground with solid rectangles, Saarinen used pointed angular forms that hover and point to the heavens.<ref name="Merkel pp. 159–160">Template:Harvnb</ref> At the top of the spire was a Template:Convert gold leaf cross,<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> which was intended to indicate that the building was a Christian house of worship.<ref name="Thomas n129" /> The cross was removed in 2024 following the congregation's disbanding.<ref name="Webster u747" /><ref name="Stafford j223" />
Interior
The church building spans Template:Convert west–east and Template:Convert north–south, with a total floor area of Template:Convert.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /><ref name="Englehart 1964" /> It spans two full levels: a nave or sanctuary on the upper level, and other functions in the basement.<ref name="Fletcher p. 260" /><ref name="PP p. 18">Template:Harvnb</ref> Both levels are hexagonal,<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /><ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="Fletcher p. 260" /> and there is a narthex on an intermediate level.<ref name="PP p. 18" /> The basement's perimeter and the upper level share a plaster ceiling, which itself is a continuation of the soffit underneath the roof.<ref name="PP p. 21" /> The building relies entirely on a mechanical air-circulation system, since none of the windows on the facade can be opened.<ref name="Stall 2018">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="PP p. 23">Template:Harvnb</ref> As a result, the interior is heated and cooled by an underfloor air distribution system. Air from these pipes is funneled into the rooms through hidden openings in the millwork. The sanctuary, on the upper level, is cooled by underfloor ducts and an empty plenum space beneath its center.<ref name="PP p. 23" /> The interior is divided largely into hexagonal spaces, interspersed with irregularly-shaped rooms that are used as washrooms and storage closets.<ref name="PP p. 23" />
The former congregation's collection included five artworks by Gwang Hyuk Ree, a North Korean who created portraits of Christ and other religious figures using text from English and Korean versions of the Bible.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Girard's wife Susan designed a tapestry, which depicted the tree of life<ref name="Green 1964">Template:Cite web</ref> and was displayed at the pulpit.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> Girard himself was responsible for many of the decorations, which contained symbolism related to the congregation and the Christian faith itself.<ref name="PA6 p. 65" /> When the building operated as a church, the Communion table in the upper-level sanctuary held a silver chalice, Communion trays, flower holders, and wrought-iron candelabras designed by Girard.<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="The Republic 1964c" />
Narthex
The church building's main entrance leads to a narthex at the building's eastern corner. The narthex has a stair and a double door ascending west to the upper-level sanctuary, as well as stairs descending to the basement on either side.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP p. 22" /> The stairs to the basement are concealed by wooden screens.<ref name="AR p. 190" /> There is one bench on either side of the entrance doors, on the vestibule's eastern wall.<ref name="PP p. 22" /> The narthex was deliberately enlarged to encourage people to mingle and interact.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> The cloakrooms were in the basement,<ref name="PP p. 23" /><ref name="NPS pp. 4–5" /> requiring congregants to return to the narthex after dropping off their clothes.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> Saarinen also intended the narthex to be a "decompression chamber" separating the sanctuary and the outdoors.<ref name="AR p. 190" /><ref name="PA6 p. 66" />
BasementTemplate:Anchor
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The basement, accessed by pairs of stairs at both the building's east and west ends,<ref name="PP p. 18" /> is arranged around a concrete core.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP p. 21">Template:Harvnb</ref> This core has spaces such as restrooms, cloakrooms, and dressing rooms.<ref name="PP p. 23" /><ref name="NPS pp. 4–5">Template:Harvnb</ref> These spaces have polished-concrete floors, except for the dressing rooms (which have ceramic tiles) and the bathrooms (which have porcelain tiles).<ref name="PP p. 23" /> There is also an auditorium within the core, directly below the sanctuary.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /><ref name="Fletcher p. 261">Template:Harvnb</ref> The auditorium could seat 420 people<ref name="Englehart 1964" /> and had a movable stage, a ceiling grid, and movable wooden partitions.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> The core has bush-hammered concrete walls,<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> which slant outward, partially overhanging a wide hallway with black-slate tiles.<ref name="PP p. 22" /><ref name="NPS pp. 4–5" /> Glass panels separate the overhanging walls from the ceiling<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="PP p. 22" /> and provide indirect natural light to the sanctuary.<ref name="PP p. 21" />
The hallway functions like the ambulatory in a traditional church.<ref name="Ladwig 2012" /> It connects offices and classrooms along the basement's perimeter, which are decorated with dark-stained plywood and mahogany woodwork.<ref name="NPS pp. 4–5" /><ref name="PP pp. 22–23" /> These rooms originally included a library, secretary's office, minister's office,<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> and daycare. They retain some of their original decorations, such as shelves.<ref name="PP p. 23" /> The outer wall of each room is part of the building's curtain wall, which ascends to the plaster ceiling.<ref name="PP p. 22" /> Concrete partitions between each room rise to the height of the curtain wall's transoms, Template:Convert above the floor, where plywood beams support dropped plywood ceilings above each room. The partitions are placed on a grid of Template:Convert bays, corresponding to the facade's bays; the partitions abutting the hallways contain cylindrical lamps and hollow-core doors.<ref name="PP pp. 22–23" /> The basement also includes a mechanical room below the western entrance and a kitchen below the eastern entrance.<ref name="PP p. 18" /><ref name="NPS pp. 4–5" />
The baptistery, also known as the chapel,<ref name="PP p. 22" /><ref name="Merkel p. 160" /> is at the basement's western end.<ref name="PP p. 22" /><ref name="NPS p. 5">Template:Harvnb</ref> It was intentionally separated from the main sanctuary to signify that only those who were baptized could attend Communion upstairs.<ref name="Saarinen 1968 91" /> The baptistery is bounded on two sides by walls running along the building's diagonal axes.<ref name="NPS p. 5" /><ref name="Fletcher p. 261" /> The western wall has wooden louvers, and double doors at its north and south ends that lead to the hallway. Movable wood partitions separate the baptistery from the rest of the basement.<ref name="PP p. 22" /> The baptistery has four rows of wooden pews, which face inward toward the core.<ref name="PP p. 22" /> The center of the room includes an elongated hexagonal baptismal font with white tiles; when the font is not being used for baptisms, it can be covered with a stainless steel platform.<ref name="PP p. 22" /><ref name="NPS p. 5" /> The pool has a sunburst design symbolizing the Holy Trinity.<ref name="PP p. 22" /><ref name="Merkel p. 160" /> The ceiling above the font is part of the concrete core's slanted walls<ref name="AR p. 189">Template:Harvnb</ref> and is decorated with a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit.<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="The Daily Reporter 1965" /> East of the font, a stainless-steel screen conceals a foyer, which leads to dressing rooms within the core. The foyer's rear, or east, wall has mosaic tiles and a silver cross illuminated by accent lighting.<ref name="PP p. 22" />
Sanctuary
The sanctuary or nave is an elongated-hexagonal room occupying the entire upper level.<ref name="PP p. 20" /><ref name="NPS p. 5" /> It can seat 445<ref name="Organ Atlas 2007" /> or 470 people,<ref name="The Republic 1964">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Efn and there are overflow seating areas with at least 100 more seats.<ref name="Organ Atlas 2007" /><ref name="The Republic 1964" /> The pews are arranged in a theater-in-the-round format,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Gapp 1976">Template:Cite news</ref> with sloped seating descending toward a central Communion table on five sides.<ref name="NPS p. 5" /><ref name="Fletcher pp. 260–261" /> This creates a configuration that has been likened to an amphitheater,<ref name="Spraker 1980" /><ref name="Anderson Daily Bulletin q586" /> a bowl,<ref name="NPS p. 5" /><ref name="Fletcher pp. 260–261">Template:Harvnb</ref> or a chalice.<ref name="Meredith y674">Template:Cite web</ref> The Republic wrote that the shape was intended to symbolize the congregation being "seated in the hands of God".<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> The pews are made of dark-stained hardwood with brown upholstery. The floors are generally made of black slate, but the uppermost pew has carpeted floors.<ref name="PP p. 21" /> The seats are arranged so that no pew is more than Template:Convert away from the Communion table.<ref name="Anderson Daily Bulletin q586" /> The layout allowed everyone to see the Communion table and also face each other,<ref name="Ladwig 2012" /><ref name="PP pp. 335–336">Template:Harvnb</ref> in contrast to traditional churches where everyone faced the same direction.<ref name="Ladwig 2012" />
Stairs from the narthex bisect the pews on the eastern side of the sanctuary, leading to the Communion table.<ref name="PP p. 20" /><ref name="NPS p. 5" /> A second stairway to the north, and a wheelchair lift to the south (which replaced another staircase<ref name="NPS p. 5" />), lead from the narthex to the upper rows of pews.<ref name="PP pp. 20–21">Template:Harvnb</ref> Stairways between the pews lead down to the Communion table.<ref name="PP p. 21" /> The Communion table's central location reflects the Communion's key role in the Disciples of Christ, the denomination to which the church's congregation belonged.<ref name="Merkel p. 160" /><ref name="Saarinen 1968">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Communion table, consisting of twelve pedestals symbolizing the twelve disciples, is placed on a tiered platform.<ref name="PP p. 21" /><ref name="Fletcher pp. 260–261" /><ref name="Saarinen 1968" /> The pedestals, connected by small silver crosses,<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> are arranged in two rows and face a larger, higher pedestal representing Christ.<ref name="NPS p. 5" /><ref name="PP p. 21" /><ref name="Fletcher pp. 260–261" /> The Communion table's hexagonal wooden platform could be moved when it was not needed;<ref name="PP p. 21" /><ref name="Fletcher pp. 260–261" /> in particular, it could be rotated perpendicularly to host performances or other events.<ref name="PA6 p. 66"/>
The pulpit, choir loft, and a Holtkamp organ are situated in a chancel opposite the main entrance stairway,<ref name="A Look At Architecture" /> occupying the western side of the sanctuary.<ref name="NPS p. 5" /><ref name="PP p. 21" /> Small chairs for church elders are upholstered in one of four colors.<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="The Daily Reporter 1965" /><ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> The organ is the last of its kind designed by Walter Holtkamp Sr.<ref name="Organ Atlas 2007" /><ref name="A Look At Architecture">Template:Cite book</ref> The organ, which dates from the building's opening in 1964, has three manuals,<ref name="Organ Atlas 2007" /> with either 2,340<ref name="Englehart 1964" /> or 2,432 pipes in total.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /><ref name="The Republic 1967">Template:Cite web</ref> Saarinen had intended for the varying lengths of the organ's pipes to serve as decorations in themselves.<ref name="PA6 p. 65" /> The western wall behind the chancel has a gate, reminiscent of an open tomb.<ref name="Millard m400">Template:Cite web</ref> Known as the "gate of resurrection",<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> it conceals an opening that leads to the baptistery in the basement.<ref name="Millard m400" />
The sanctuary's plaster ceiling, a continuation of the roof soffit and basement ceiling,<ref name="PP p. 21" /><ref name="NPS p. 5" /> forms the underside of the roof.<ref name="PP p. 20" /> The ceiling panels surround a hexagon above the Communion table. Within this hexagon, trapezoidal panels with embedded recessed lights slope down toward the roof's hexagonal oculus opening, which lets natural light into the sanctuary.<ref name="PP p. 21" /><ref name="NPS p. 5" /> At the perimeter of the room, additional illumination is provided by indirect cove lighting,<ref name="NPS p. 5" /><ref name="PP p. 21" /> along with the glass panels from the basement.<ref name="Merkel p. 160" /><ref name="PP p. 21" /> The glass panels, which let in natural light from the basement's curtain wall, are concealed, creating the impression that the light was coming from a mysterious source.<ref name="Merkel p. 160" /> The lighting design and general lack of windows, inspired by Saarinen's earlier Kresge Chapel,<ref name="PA6 pp. 65–66">Template:Harvnb</ref> were variously described as giving the sanctuary a cavern-like feeling,<ref name="FF-2000-02">Template:Cite magazine</ref> or a sense of "peace and spiritual uplift".<ref name="Block 1969" /> The shape of the sanctuary made its acoustics ideal for concerts; Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra director John Nelson preferred performing at the North Christian Church over anywhere else in Indiana.<ref name="Spraker 1980" />
History
Background
The North Christian Church congregation, affiliated with the Disciples of Christ,<ref name="Fletcher p. 259" /><ref name="Merkel p. 158" /> was founded by 43 former members of the First Christian Church in downtown Columbus, Indiana.<ref name="Fletcher p. 259">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Merkel p. 158">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="PP p. 335">Template:Harvnb</ref> The congregants had left the First Christian Church due to ideological disagreements,<ref name="Fletcher p. 259" /><ref name="PA6 p. 64">Template:Harvnb</ref> particularly because the First Christian Church did not allow women in leadership positions.<ref name="PP p. 335" /> The growth of the city's population was also cited as a reason for the new congregation's founding.<ref name="The Republic 1955">Template:Cite web</ref> The North Christian Church hosted its first meeting in a house on April 24, 1955.<ref name="Blair 2004">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Efn Initially, congregants met at private houses and an Episcopal church.<ref name="Merkel p. 158" /><ref name="The Republic 1955" /><ref name="Organ Atlas 2007" /> The congregation acquired a temporary site that October—the George Caldwell Mansion on 25th Street<ref name="The Republic 1955" />—and relocated there in February 1956 following a renovation.<ref name="Organ Atlas 2007" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The congregation began constructing a Template:Convert prefabricated sanctuary next to the mansion that April,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the sanctuary opened the next month.<ref name="The Columbus Herald 1956" /> James L. Stoner began serving the congregation that May,<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="The Columbus Herald 1956">Template:Cite web</ref> becoming its first full-time pastor.<ref name="Merkel p. 158" />
By mid-1956, the congregation had 122 members.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In keeping with the North Christian Church's nature as a "family church", members of the congregation did not want to expand past 700 members.<ref name="Ward e158" /><ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> The congregation acquired land with the help of the industrialist J. Irwin Miller,<ref name="Merkel pp. 158–159">Template:Harvnb</ref> one of its earliest members.<ref name="The Republic 1955" /><ref name="Goldberger v515">Template:Cite web</ref> Miller was the longtime leader of the Cummins automotive-parts company<ref name="Pace y570">Template:Cite web</ref> and a Sunday-school teacher at the church.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In early 1958, the Columbus city government proposed annexing a site east of Sycamore Street and south of U.S. Route 31, just outside city limits; at the time, the congregation was considering acquiring this plot.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Early that March, the congregation announced that it would buy the tract near U.S. 31 and Sycamore Street,<ref name="The Republic 1958a" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> covering about Template:Convert.<ref name="The Republic 1958a" /><ref name="Merkel pp. 158–159" /> This purchase was finalized on March 18,<ref name="PP p. 16" /> and the city government agreed to annex that land three days later.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The original plot of land extended only as far east as California Street, roughly two blocks or Template:Convert east of Sycamore Street.<ref name="The Republic 1958a" /> Congregants planned to develop a new building on their newly acquired land.<ref name="Merkel p. 159" /><ref name="The Republic 1958">Template:Cite web</ref>
Development
The congregation began raising funds for the new building in October 1958;<ref name="The Republic 1958" /> the initial fundraising dinner raised $313,000 for the project.<ref name="Englehart 1964" /> To design the building, Miller had wanted to hire Eero Saarinen,<ref name="Merkel p. 159" /> whom he had met in 1939 when Eero's father Eliel Saarinen was designing the First Christian Church.<ref name="PA6 p. 58">Template:Harvnb</ref> Eero Saarinen was Miller's favorite architect, and Saarinen likewise regarded Miller as "the perfect client", ultimately designing four buildings for him.<ref name="PA6 p. 57" /> Miller delegated the architect-selection process to the congregation's building committee,<ref name="PA6 p. 64" /><ref name="Merkel p. 159" /> of which he was named a chairman.<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The committee interviewed numerous architects from across the U.S.<ref name="The Republic 1958" /><ref name="NPS p. 8">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn They interviewed Saarinen in January 1959,<ref name="PA6 p. 64" /> where, in response to a question about how long a church should last, the architect declared the building should stand for a long time.<ref name="The Republic 1964c">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="The Lima News 1972">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Efn Miller later reflected that most of the architects interviewed by the committee had presented slideshows of their work, but that Saarinen's approach was different:<ref name="Merkel pp. 159–160" />
Eero just brought a notebook. He looked at us and said, "What do you want? What do you want it to be? Don't tell me what you want it to look like, but what you want it to be like." They decided to hire him as soon as he left.<ref name="Merkel p. 159" />
Design
Saarinen's firm received the design contract in February, the month after his interview.<ref name="PP p. 16" /> It took two years to design the building,<ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref name="PA6 p. 64" /> which Saarinen designed almost simultaneously with the Dulles International Airport Main Terminal.<ref name="Forgey 2004">Template:Cite web</ref> The congregation wanted all the rooms under one roof, and they wanted an intimate sanctuary centered around a Communion table.<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="The Republic 1979">Template:Cite web</ref> As such, Saarinen researched the early history of churches and the customs of the Disciples of Christ,<ref name="Millard m400" /> and he studied scripture for two years.<ref name="The Republic 1979" /> Rather than unilaterally deciding how the building should be laid out, he visited congregants to solicit their feedback for the design.<ref name="PP p. 335" /><ref name="Blair 2004" /> Stoner's wife later reflected that Saarinen saw the building as an opportunity to create a "prototype of twentieth-century Christianity".<ref name="The Republic 1964a" /> Based on congregants' requests, Saarinen devised plans for a building with classrooms; meeting spaces for young congregants and the choir; a nursery; and a kitchen.<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /><ref name="PP p. 335" />
Saarinen focused extensively on even the most minor details of the design.<ref name="The Republic 1964a" /><ref name="Millard m400" /> One of his biographers, Jayne Merkel, wrote that he had created hundreds of drawings, whereas his father's final design for the First Christian Church had resembled the original drawings.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The congregation had agreed on preliminary designs for the church building by December 1960.<ref name="Gordon p298">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="The Columbus Herald 1960" /> The plans called for a double-height hexagonal building topped by a spire, with a sanctuary, chapel, auditorium, classrooms, and offices inside.<ref name="The Columbus Herald 1960" /> All of these spaces were packed inside the hexagonal massing, eliminating the need for protruding wings.<ref name="Ladwig 2012" /> At the time, the congregation had grown to 348 members, nearly half the congregation's 700-member goal.<ref name="Ward e158">Template:Cite web</ref> Saarinen continued to revise the plans after the congregation had already approved a scale model of the building,<ref name="The Republic 1964a" /> and the congregation gradually became impatient at the delays.<ref name="PA6 p. 64" /><ref name="Fletcher p. 268">Template:Harvnb</ref> In response to a query from Miller, Saarinen wrote that he was focusing on little details because he felt an obligation to the congregation to perfect the design.<ref name="PA6 p. 64" />
Walter Holtkamp was hired to design the church's organ in May 1961.<ref name="PP p. 16" /> When the plans were finalized on July 28, 1961,<ref name="Organ Atlas 2007" /> Saarinen wrote, "We have finally solved the Columbus church".<ref name="Fletcher p. 268" /><ref name="Saarinen o680">Template:Cite book</ref> Saarinen died in September 1961,<ref name="Everett 1974">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Fletcher p. 268" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and his associate Kevin Roche took over the project.<ref name="Johannesen p878">Template:Cite web</ref> Roche presented revised plans to the congregation that October, which called for a structure with a 470-seat sanctuary, classrooms, a baptistery, an auditorium, kitchen, and other multi-use areas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Roche, John Dinkeloo, and other associates began creating working drawings in December, and the building committee hired a structural designer and mechanical engineering contractor.<ref name="PP p. 16" /> In February 1962, Miller indicated that construction drawings would be completed within two months and that the contracts would be awarded shortly thereafter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Holtkamp submitted his designs for the organ the next month.<ref name="PP p. 16" />
Construction and opening
The congregation requested permission to rezone the new building's site for commercial use in August 1962,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Columbus Plan Commission narrowly approved the request shortly thereafter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Concurrently, Repp and Mundt were hired as the building's general contractors.<ref name="PP p. 16" /><ref name="The Republic 1962">Template:Cite web</ref> The groundbreaking ceremony for the building took place on September 2, 1962,<ref name="Organ Atlas 2007" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> exactly one year and one day after Saarinen had died.<ref name="Blair 2004" /> That November, the Columbus city government approved a construction permit for the new church,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Girard was hired to design objects for the new church.<ref name="PP p. 16" /> Work proceeded quickly, and by March 1963, the last steel beam of the superstructure had been installed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dinkeloo and Paul A. Kennon presented drawings for the furnishings to the congregation's construction committee that month.<ref name="PP p. 16" /> That May, the building's iron workers went on strike for one day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The building's spire was constructed in three Template:Convert sections and hoisted into place in mid-May 1963.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Jackson County Banner f116">Template:Cite web</ref> Workers had to use a Template:Convert crane with a Template:Convert arm, one of the largest in Indiana, to construct the spire.<ref name="Jackson County Banner f116" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A special service was hosted on May 21, 1963, when the cross on the topmost section of the spire was installed.<ref name="Organ Atlas 2007" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Workers were fitting out the interior by that October,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but although the building was supposed to be completed by Christmas, construction delays postponed its completion.<ref name="The Republic 1964" /> The building was estimated to have cost $1 million<ref name="Spraker 1980" /> or $1.3 million.<ref name="The Daily Journal 1964">Template:Cite web</ref>
The North Christian Church building hosted its first service on March 8, 1964.<ref name="Organ Atlas 2007" /><ref name="Lee r270" /> Six members of the congregation had spent several hours preparing the building, which was still incomplete until an hour before the first service started.<ref name="Lee r270" /> Around the time the building was completed, the congregation bought another plot east of their original site at Sycamore Street.<ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref name="PP p. 30" /> The building was formally dedicated on April 19, 1964, with a service attended by 500 guests.<ref name="The Republic 1964b">Template:Cite web</ref> For the dedication ceremony, Episcopal bishop Henry Knox Sherrill was invited to give a speech,<ref name="The Republic 1964b" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Eero Saarinen's mother Loja and Alexander Girard's wife Susan visited the new building.<ref name="Green 1964" /> The old building was converted into a bank shortly thereafter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Congregational use
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When the North Christian Church was used as a church, congregants were baptized in the basement and then went to an altar to take private Communion, passing through steps and a "gate of resurrection".<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> After taking private Communion, they could worship in the upstairs sanctuary.<ref name="Englehart 1964" /> Early on in the building's history, the congregation established a trust fund to pay for repairs,<ref name="Ladwig 2012" /> allocating $150,000 a year for the purpose by 2018.<ref name="Stall 2018" /> In addition to worship services and religious events, the building was used by community organizations, including the boy and girl scouts and musical ensembles. The Columbus Visitors Center conducted daily tours of the building.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For much of the late 20th century, the congregation was dominated by employees of Irwin Miller's company, Cummins Inc., leading it to be called the "Cummins Church".<ref name="PP p. 337">Template:Harvnb</ref>
1960s to 1980s
Shortly after the building opened, it was used for events such as youth group meetings,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> displays of nativity scenes,<ref name="Prather p338">Template:Cite web</ref> film screenings,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and lecture series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Stoner resigned as the congregation's pastor in July 1966<ref name="Jackson County Banner a364">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Wilson 1966">Template:Cite web</ref> and subsequently was hired by the National Council of Churches.<ref name="Wilson 1966" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During his tenure, Stoner had increased the North Christian Church congregation's annual budget from $20,000 to $140,000.<ref name="Ridgewood Herald-News r984">Template:Cite web</ref> Following Stoner's resignation, Joseph Warner Muir became the temporary pastor until the congregation found a minister to permanently assume the position.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> John R. Bean was installed as the congregation's pastor in April 1967.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The organ was vandalized that October,<ref name="The Republic 1967" /> and U.S. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson visited the church building that year during a tour of Columbus.<ref name="Cole t523">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Under Bean's leadership, the North Christian Church hosted various special-interest groups and sponsored events such as picnics, festivals, and camping trips.<ref name="PP p. 336">Template:Harvnb</ref> By the early 1970s, congregants voluntarily gave visitors tours of the building,<ref name="Vecsey">Template:Cite web</ref> and the Chicago Tribune described it as possibly Columbus's most-visited structure.<ref name="Everett 1974" /> The congregation also hosted events such as music performances,<ref>See, for example:
- Template:Cite web
- Template:Cite web</ref> ballet performances,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Christmas parties,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and it raised money for an emergency-aid fund.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As part of an extension of Tipton Lane eastward to Home Avenue,<ref name="PP p. 30" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the site was expanded to the east in 1971.<ref name="PP p. 30" /> This added about Template:Convert to the congregation's holdings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kiley was hired to modify the landscape design to cover the newly acquired site.<ref name="PP p. 16" /> The Columbus city government reviewed a preliminary plat, or site map, in March 1972,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the plat was approved the next month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As part of the development of a nearby housing estate, the congregation also paid some of the cost of improving the adjacent segment of Sycamore Street.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kiley finalized his design for the landscape in 1974.<ref name="PP p. 30" /> Kiley had wanted to remove a magnolia orchard from the grounds after finding that it was not growing well, but the congregation convinced him to retain the orchard.<ref name="A-1984-06">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
The congregation's wide-ranging music program consisted of annual recitals and periodic performances at the church building.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The congregation hosted a mortgage-burning ceremony in January 1979 to celebrate paying off its mortgage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Recital programs continued through the 1980s,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> including a special performance in 1984 to mark the 20th anniversary of the church organ's dedication.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The congregation began raising funds for capital repairs to the church building, including its ceiling, roof, and oculus in 1983.<ref name="PP p. 121">Template:Harvnb</ref> The building continued to receive tourists in the 1980s; one tour guide said the North Christian Church was the best-known building on tours of the city's architecture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The congregation celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1986, inviting all 3,000 people who had ever been part of the congregation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1988, the Storrow Kinsella Partnership was hired to create plans to repair the structural frame and roof.<ref name="PP p. 121" />
1990s to early 2010s
The North Christian Church's congregation began hosting some joint worship services with the St. Paul's Episcopal Church in 1991.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The church building also hosted Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and the congregation sometimes held services incorporating these meetings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the end of 1991, Bean retired as the congregation's pastor, having served in the role for 25 years.<ref name="Wheeler h125">Template:Cite web</ref> He was replaced in late 1993 by former Lexington Theological Seminary president William O. Paulsell.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the decade, the Columbus Visitors Center organized tours of the North Christian Church and other modernist churches in Columbus,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the building also hosted youth meetings.<ref>See, for instance:
- Template:Cite web
- Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, the congregation offered their building to other groups and congregations that needed it, such as the St. Bartholomew Catholic Church's congregation, which worshiped there while their own building was under construction.<ref name="Blair 2004" /> The North Christian Church's congregation remained involved in community issues, operating a food bank and hosting various speeches in the church building.<ref name="Blair 2016">Template:Cite web</ref>
The congregation hired a local architect, Todd Williams, to design a memorial garden outside the church building in 1995.<ref name="PP p. 121" /> The garden was dedicated two years later on September 21, 1997.<ref name="PP p. 121" /> Paulsell retired that month, having led the congregation for four years,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and David Shirey took over as the congregation's fourth pastor in September 1998.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His three-year tenure at North Christian Church was marked by declines in membership, caused by strife between newer and older members.<ref name="PP p. 338">Template:Harvnb</ref> Irwin Miller and his wife Xenia Miller, who had been major benefactors to the congregation throughout its history, simultaneously scaled back their involvement due to growing health issues.<ref name="PP p. 337" /> Shirey severed his affiliation with the congregation in 2001,<ref name="PP p. 338" /> resigning to help found a church in Arizona.<ref name="The Tribune x815">Template:Cite web</ref> Greg Russell served as the senior pastor for some time in the early 2000s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Workers began repairing a defect on the spire in 2002,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the spire's metal was replaced the next year.<ref name="PP p. 121" />
Lanny Lawler became the senior minister in 2004.<ref name="PP p. 338" /><ref name="Gerber g142">Template:Cite web</ref> Under Lawler's leadership, the congregation hosted events such as Taizé worship sessions<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and public "labyrinth walks" at the building.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By the mid-2000s, the church building's roof was deteriorating,<ref name="Sanders 2007">Template:Cite web</ref> and the congregation was raising money for roof repairs, lighting on the spire, a welcome center, and a repaved parking lot.<ref name="PP p. 121" /> To pay for a $650,000 renovation of the roof, the congregation obtained a $300,000 grant in 2007 through the Save America's Treasures program.<ref name="Sanders 2007" /> The roof and memorial garden were repaired over the following two years as part of a project designed by Louis Joyner.<ref name="PP p. 121" /> The congregation began catering more openly to social-justice causes in 2011, though some congregants left as a result.<ref name="PP p. 338" /> Members of the congregation also asked guests to point out issues with the building, which had begun to develop leaks and ventilation problems.<ref name="Ladwig 2012" /> The grounds were restored following a storm in 2015.<ref name="McClure 2015" /> The next year, as part of a program to mitigate issues associated with a widening of the nearby U.S. 31, the Indiana Department of Transportation replaced diseased and dead plants on the grounds.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Maintenance issues and closure
The church's final years were marked by steadily declining attendance.<ref name="The Republic 2022" /><ref name="Gerber g142" /> As upkeep costs increased, the remaining members found it increasingly difficult to pay for maintenance.<ref name="Wooten c476" /><ref name="Princeton Daily Clarion e411" /> By the late 2010s, the congregation had only 35<ref name="Princeton Daily Clarion e411" /> or 60 remaining members, few of them young.<ref name="Stall 2018" /> A major issue was repairing the building's original, custom-built air-conditioning system, which stopped working in 2017 and cost $500,000 just to rebuild. Without other methods of ventilation such as windows, temperatures reached Template:Convert during the summer, causing the organ to malfunction and driving away groups that would otherwise have met there.<ref name="Stall 2018" /> The congregation also had difficulty attracting new members or raising $250,000 to receive a matching funds grant of the same amount.<ref name="Stall 2018" /><ref name="Princeton Daily Clarion e411" /> The congregation received funding from Sacred Places Indiana in 2016.<ref name="Blair 2016" /><ref name="The Republic 2016">Template:Cite web</ref> The funding included planning grants for a study about the building's future, which the congregation could not complete;<ref name="Princeton Daily Clarion e411" /> the planning grants would have allowed the congregation to obtain up to $250,000 in matching funds grants for repairs.<ref name="The Republic 2016" />
Tonja Gerardy became the senior pastor in 2018 and continued to advocate for social justice causes, such as the LGBTQ and women's rights movements.<ref name="PP p. 338" /> In April 2018, the historic-preservation organization Indiana Landmarks added the church building to its list of Indiana's 10 most endangered landmarks.<ref name="Wooten c476" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although the building was not badly deteriorated or neglected, unlike other landmarks on the list, the congregation was experiencing maintenance difficulties, despite their best efforts.<ref name="Princeton Daily Clarion e411" /> The Getty Foundation distributed a preservation grant to the North Christian Church in 2019 as part of the foundation's Keeping It Modern program.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The $150,000 grant was used to hire preservation consultants; at the time, the air-conditioning system had just been replaced, but other parts of the building had to be repaired.<ref name="Blair o977">Template:Cite web</ref> The local preservation organization Landmark Columbus and other groups developed a conservation management plan for the church building's long-term upkeep.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana caused a further exodus of worshipers, and the congregation had fewer than 30 people by early 2022.<ref name="Blair 2022">Template:Cite web</ref> The Bartholomew County Public Library (BCPL) began considering the feasibility of converting the structure into a library branch without removing or significantly modifying the original decorations.<ref name="Blair 2022" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> At the time, the BCPL's existing branches were overcrowded,<ref name="Gay u411" /> and there was demand for a new library branch in the area.<ref name="Blair 2022" /> On July 16, 2022, the congregation held a "Celebration of Life" service for the building and officially disbanded.<ref name="The Republic 2022">Template:Cite web</ref> The building was closed after the congregation disbanded,<ref name="Gerber g142" /> and former congregation members retained ownership of the cross on the spire.<ref name="Gay u411">Template:Cite web</ref> Subsequently, ownership of the building was transferred to Columbus Capital, which temporarily acted as the building's caretaker.<ref name="Stall 2023">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="106.1 The River g963" /> The new owners planned an educational museum at the building and requested a tax exemption for the purpose.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In mid-2023, the former congregation's members offered the building to the BCPL.<ref name="East s806">Template:Cite web</ref>
Conversion to library
On April 15, 2024, the BCPL's board voted to accept the church building as a gift from the former North Christian Church congregation to house a new library branch.<ref name="Gay u411" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The renovation and acquisition of the old church building were estimated to be less expensive than a completely new library structure.<ref name="106.1 The River g963" /><ref name="Davis j794">Template:Cite web</ref> As part of its takeover, the BCPL would renovate the building and make it wheelchair-accessible, although such a renovation would take up to five years.<ref name="Gay u411" /><ref name="106.1 The River g963">Template:Cite web</ref> The BCPL and the Disciples of Christ agreed to preserve the congregation's artifacts.<ref name="Webster u747" /><ref name="Stafford j223" /> Part of the repair cost would be funded by $800,000 from an insurance policy that the congregation had placed on the building.<ref name="Blair q559">Template:Cite web</ref> After taking over the building, the BCPL announced that it would begin using the former church for events in the middle of that year.<ref name="Lichter p951">Template:Cite web</ref> The initial events included the BCPL's Summer Reading Kickoff in early 2024<ref name="Indiana Economic Digest t473">Template:Cite web</ref> and a rock concert in February 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
To permit the building's change of use, the BCPL submitted a site development plan to the Columbus Plan Commission,<ref name="Davis j794" /> which approved the plan in June 2024.<ref name="Indiana Economic Digest t473" /> The cross was removed from the building's spire in August 2024 and relocated to the First Christian Church of Bedford's Camp Bedford.<ref name="Webster u747">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Stafford j223">Template:Cite web</ref> The spire was then covered with a protective lead-coated copper sheath.<ref name="Stafford j223" /> In October 2024, the BCPL began discussing new names for the former church.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After months of deliberation, the Library Board renamed the structure The LEX: the Library of Experience on April 8, 2025. The library planned to convert the sanctuary into a multi-purpose events space and devote the other rooms to a variety of community uses, including education.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The structure was broken into and vandalized on April 14, 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Impact
Reception
When the church building was completed, it was a prominent community landmark.<ref name="The Lima News 1972" /> The design startled many observers,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the building was initially sometimes described as "the holy oil-can".<ref name="Maidenberg b585" /><ref name="Vecsey" /> Later observers continued to describe the building as a highly visible landmark of Columbus, particularly for people approaching the city from the north.<ref name="A-1984-06" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> An article for The Tennessean described the building as having a similar "magical" feeling to that of the Notre-Dame de Paris,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while a Washington Post reporter compared the entrances to flying saucers and described the exterior as seemingly "poised to lift off and take man to meet his Maker".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The church building also became a symbol of the city of Columbus.<ref name="Stall 2023" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Republic compared its symbolism to the Sydney Opera House as a symbol for Australia, or the Cinderella Castle as a symbol for Disney parks.<ref name="Stall 2023" />
Wolf Von Eckardt praised the design's sculptural qualities in The New Republic, saying that Saarinen had succeeded in his goal of "prouder, more aggressive, much richer and larger" architecture.<ref name="Von Eckardt 1964">Template:Cite web</ref> A writer for The Christian Science Monitor said in 1968 that, because of the berm, "its slender spire seems to soar from the surrounding corn field",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while the Cleveland Press said the same year that the building's location near corn fields gave it "an Indiana quality".<ref name="Klaric r970">Template:Cite web</ref> The New York Times wrote in 1970 that the North Christian Church was "perhaps the most striking and impressive example of contemporary architecture in Columbus" because of its spire and hexagonal footprint,<ref name="Thomas n129" /> and Paul Goldberger of the same newspaper saw the North Christian Church as one of Saarinen's better designs.<ref name="Goldberger v515" /> Paul Gapp of the Chicago Tribune said the building "proclaims itself with a dignity at once powerful but unpretentious", highlighting the spire and the sanctuary's theater-in-the-round seating.<ref name="Gapp 1976" />
Benjamin Forgey wrote for The Washington Post in 1986 that the building was a "dramatically thoughtful piece" both inside and outside,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while Faith & Form wrote in 2000 that the North Christian Church had been "one of the most significant and inspiring forms in religious architecture at that time".<ref name="FF-2000-02" /> In 2003, another New York Times reporter wrote that the North Christian Church was Columbus's "second indisputably great church", after the First Christian Church, and that its soaring massing attracted observers' attention, much like Saarinen's design for the Dulles International Airport Main Terminal did.<ref name="Apple y679"/> Also in the 2000s, a writer for The Columbian said the building "conveys 'sacred space' as few other places can",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said the interior and landscape complemented each other.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Guardian wrote in 2024 that the church "bears a similar level of structural ambition" to Saarinen's Gateway Arch and TWA Flight Center.<ref name="Wainwright h955">Template:Cite web</ref>
Comparisons to the First Christian Church
When the North Christian Church was complete, it was compared to the older First Christian Church, designed by Saarinen's father. Von Eckardt wrote that the churches were "two pinnacles in the uncertain architecture of our time" and that, despite their vastly different shapes, the churches were built in the same spirit.<ref name="Von Eckardt 1964" /> He later wrote that the building was "pure emotion" compared to the First Christian Church, whose geometric design had been "pure reason".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Wall Street Journal wrote in 1970 that the North Christian Church was just as "eye-catching" as the First Christian Church,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> though Goldberger said the older church had a more "convincing" design.<ref name="Goldberger v515" />
Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune said in 1993 that the North Christian Church was one of several churches that had followed the First Christian Church's lead.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Church History magazine wrote that Saarinen's North Christian Church design had exhibited an "even more dramatic expression of a modernist approach to form" compared with his father's design.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Architectural influence and media
The structure has been described as Saarinen's final design<ref name="Forgey 2004" /><ref name="The Daily Journal 1964" /><ref name="Vecsey"/> or one of his last works.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Republic described it as the only church Saarinen had ever built,<ref name="The Republic 1964c" /> although the art collector Elsie Sweeney, whose sister had been on the building committee, told The Star Press that Saarinen had designed churches in Europe but not in the U.S.<ref name="Millard m400" /> Saarinen considered the church building one of his favorite designs,<ref name="Frisch 1995">Template:Cite web</ref> quipping that it was the one work by which he hoped Saint Peter would judge his career.<ref name="Englehart 1964" /><ref name="Everett 1974" /> As he said, "When I face St. Peter I am able to say that out of the buildings I did during my lifetime, one of the best was this little church, because it has in it a real spirit that speaks forth to all Christians as a witness to their faith."<ref name="A Look At Architecture"/>
The North Christian Church's design did not generate much interest during Saarinen's life, or even when it was being constructed after his death.<ref name="Merkel p. 159" /> The years that followed produced copies of the building all across the United States, many of which were of inferior quality;<ref name="Merkel pp. 159–160" /><ref name="McCaslin u500">Template:Cite web</ref> by the early 1980s, The Christian Science Monitor called the design a "cliched pyramid".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Among the buildings inspired by the North Christian Church building's design was the St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Columbus, constructed in 1988 and designed by Gunnar Birkerts.<ref name="Frisch 1995" />
A writer for Christianity Today said in 1981 that the North Christian Church was one of several 20th-century churches that used innovative "methods and materials" to express the purity of their design.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Architectural Review of Britain described Saarinen's buildings for Miller as an "important legacy from Saarinen for the environment".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The high concentration of modern buildings in Columbus, including the North Christian Church, helped make it one of the American Institute of Architects' top U.S. cities for innovation and design.<ref name="Wissing t338">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The church building was featured in a 1990 exhibit about Saarinen's work at the Indianapolis Museum of Art's Columbus Gallery<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a 2007 exhibition at the Cranbrook Art Museum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The building was also featured in Columbus, a 2017 film set in the city;<ref name="McCarthy z359">Template:Cite web</ref> its producer Kogonada cited the spire as having influenced his thinking on the role of architecture in the film.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Awards and landmark designation
The American Society of Landscape Architects' Indiana chapter gave the building an award for its landscaping in 1999.<ref name="TCLF g549" /><ref name="Blair 2004" /> In addition, the American Institute of Architects selected the church building as one of the United States' 13 best buildings in the previous half-century in 2004.<ref name="Blair 2004" />
In early 2000, the North Christian Church and five other modernist structures in Columbus were nominated for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as National Historic Landmarks (NHLs).<ref name="Mullen p652">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="McCawley a609">Template:Cite web</ref> The United States Department of the Interior designated four of these buildings, including the North Christian Church, as landmarks that May.<ref name="Burnette x829">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Haukebo t406">Template:Cite web</ref> This was the first time in U.S. history that several buildings were simultaneously designated as NHLs before turning 50 years old,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the minimum cutoff required of most buildings on the NRHP.<ref name="Mullen p652" /> The designation allowed the building to qualify for federal preservation funds.<ref name="Burnette x829" /> The landmark nominations themselves received national media attention, in part because very few NRHP sites were designated as NHLs, let alone in such a small area.<ref name="McCawley a609" /> The landmark designation includes the church building's landscaping.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
- List of works by Eero Saarinen
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Indiana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bartholomew County, Indiana
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
- Template:Cite journal
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External links
Template:Columbus, Indiana Template:NHLs in IN Template:Eero Saarinen Template:NRHP in Bartholomew County, Indiana Template:Portal bar
- Pages with broken file links
- 1960s architecture in the United States
- 1964 establishments in Indiana
- 20th-century churches in the United States
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregations
- Churches completed in 1964
- Churches in Bartholomew County, Indiana
- Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
- Eero Saarinen church buildings
- Modernist architecture in Indiana
- National Historic Landmarks in Columbus, Indiana