About
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Address: 3244 34th Avenue South
Neighborhood: Longfellow
Construction Date: 1949
Contractor: Unknown
Architect: Eliel Saarinen
Architectural Style: Modern/International
Historic Use: Religious facility
Current Use: Religious facility
Date of Local Designation: 1978
Date of National Register Designation: 2001
Area(s) of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1948-1949
Historic Profile: Christ Church Lutheran was Minneapolis’ first merger of contemporary design and ecclesiastical structure. It was also the last completed design by the internationally acclaimed architect, Eliel Saarinen.
Saarinen combined the modern idiom of integrity in structure and materials with enough historic symbolism to create an explicit visual statement without having it appear out of place in a contemporary middle-class residential neighborhood. An article from Architectural Forum, published at the time the church was built, stated, "Art, science, and faith achieve a serene harmony in this little church … In purity and simplicity of form, it recalls the early Christian era." The chime tower and rectangular nave structures, which are of honey-colored brick and Mankato stone, are connected by a glass enclosed partition which lets light flow through the interior. In 1977 Christ Church Lutheran received the American Institute of Architects 25-Year Award, an award given for architectural design of enduring significance and restricted to structures at least 25 years old.
Photo Credits:
Circa 1975, Unknown
2006, Minneapolis CPED
Works Cited:
"National Register of Historic Places – Nomination Form," December 2000.