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A dwindling congregation took bold steps to preserve its historic Aurora church. |
News from the region
Faith on Fifth Street
4/13/2012
When the congregation of a small town or rural church dwindles away, the same fate usually befalls the building. A for-sale sign might go up…or not. Abandonment is a common outcome. The distinctive purpose, reinforced by iconographic architecture, makes church buildings extremely challenging to reuse.
The few remaining members of the Fifth Street Church in Aurora understood all of this when they had to face the inevitable. Their 1847 Gothic Revival brick church was in excellent repair. Costly repairs to the steeple had just been completed. Some money was in the bank, but the small congregation knew it would not long be able to continue, nor responsibly maintain the building, which was indisputably part of its mission. However, not wanting to walking-away if they could help it, congregation members were determined to steer the building to a good reuse.
The resolute members on Fifth Street had one thing going for them: Aurora takes its church architecture seriously. The Fifth Street Church is one of three churches listed in the National Register of Historic Places in Aurora’s small urban core. All together, five historic steeples still rise above the town, creating a distinctive skyline that suggests the nickname “City of Spires.” Accented by the rising hillside, there is nothing quite like it the state of Indiana. A snowy winter afternoon makes it look like a storybook village.
As a consequence, a bold little organization called The City of Spires Historical Museum and Foundation was born. It operates the building as a historic site and rental venue. This is a noteworthy, commendable, even audacious initiative.
Find out more about Aurora’s Little Church that Could here: http://www.cityofspires.org.
