Christ Church Lutheran in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
Recently, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that Christ Church Lutheran in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA) has been awarded the honor of being designated a National Historic Landmark.
The church was designed by renowned Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen.
This is a great honor for any building in the United States. The church building and addition had already received the distinction of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Church's web site tells of another award the church received:
In 1977, the building received the American Institute of Architects' 25-Year Award, crediting the influence of the building on church design in the second half of the 20th century. In the award, the AIA described the church as “a living symbol of architectural integrity….a building with great dramatic effect and architectural impact, and yet which retains a very human scale and possesses a feeling of serenity and repose.â€Â
When the church wanted to add their educational wing, they hired Eero Saarinen, the original architect's son and an acclaimed architect in his own right (e.g., the St. Louis Gateway Arch), to complete his father's vision — which he did.
I have been in the church on a number of occasions. In particular, the church has supported the local Finnish-American community by allowing them to use the facilities for concerts, worship services and other gatherings.
The church is beautiful in its simplicity. As with many buildings that have a Nordic sensibility, it uses light and scale to create a breathtaking space with, as AIA noted, a human scale.
You can read more about the building's history and preservation on the Christ Church Lutheran web site.
Congratulations and thanks to the Christ Church Lutheran congregation for preserving and honoring their building — and a piece of Finnish-American history.
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The Gateway Arch is really an impressive building. Especially the elevators are awesome. I really recommend everybody to check it out.