A new initiative may serve as a model for the mecca of modern architecture as its treasured buildings begin to reach old age In the midst of World War II, the opening of a small-town church in south central Indiana became national news before it even opened its doors. When the design for the church was announced, Time magazine rhapsodized about how, ?the costliest modern church in the world, planned by Europe?s most famous modern architect and his son, is going up across the street from a Victorian city hall.?
The architects were Eliel and Eero Saarinen, and the church was the First Christian Church, occupying an entire city block in Columbus, Indiana.
The boxy brick-and-limestone-clad complex, a series of rectangular masses accented by a 166-foot-high bell tower and a yard dotted with maple trees and a reflecting pool, was a revelation when it first welcomed parishioners in 1942. The progressive design was considered ?the most daring innovation in American church architecture,? according to a reporter from Christian Century, and would become both a model for 20th century ecclesiastical architecture. It was also the first of many stunning contemporary buildings that make Columbus a mecca of modern design. In a town of less than 12,000 residents, more than 10,000 visitors signed the guest book in its first six weeks.
Cranbrook Archives
One of the Saarinen?s early renderings of the design of First Christian Church

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