architecture : first christian church, columbus

This is the First Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana originally known as the Tabernacle Church of Christ. It was built by the Finnish Architect Eliel Saarinen in 1942.

I am an agnostic but I love this building, which a fine example of mid-century religious architecture. It was, in fact, one of the first churches in the United States to be constructed in a modern style. I like its 'nordic' simplicity and clean lines.  It is built of brick, Indiana limestone with concrete details. The campanile is 166 feet tall and is unornamented except for a grid of semi-translucent plastic panels and a clock of metal numerals. To the west there is a large plaza or courtyard which once had a reflecting pool but due to maintenance problems was removed in 1960 and lawned over. To the front of the building stands a Henry Moore sculpture. The interior of the church is exposed brick and sanded plaster. The floor is carpeted. Charles Eames together with Eliel Saarinen's son, Eero, were commissioned to design and make the interior furniture.

I visited this church in the autumn of 1996 on a roadtrip from Florida to Chicago. It was a case of seeing an air-brushed postcard image and wishing to step into the scene. Columbus -- a city of 40,000 inhabitants -- is an architectural gem as during the first half of the 20th century it invited a number of prominent modernist architects, including I M Pei and Richard Meier, to erect their 'Brave New World' buildings there. There are no malls developed on the outskirts of the city limits as with the vast majority of American towns and small cities. In Columbus, Downtown is still vigorously downtown and the First Christian Church -- designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001 -- is zoned in a transition area between late 19th century / early 20th century homes and the business district.