NEWS

First Christian Church Initiates Drip Campaign

Water seeping through aging skylights threatens a signature feature at one of Columbus’s premier Modernist landmarks.

First Christian Church, Columbus
First Christian Church in Columbus, designed by Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, was named a National Historic Landmark in 2001.

Stopping the Leak

Architect Frank Gehry famously quipped “all great architecture leaks.” First Christian Church is undoubtedly one of Columbus’s greatest landmarks and, alas, water seeping through its aging skylights illustrates both Gehry’s witticism and the risks increasingly faced by aging mid-century landmarks.

Eliel and Eero Saarinen designed the 1942 church, one of the first Modernist churches in the U.S. Its construction marked the advent of Modernist architecture in Columbus, a city now internationally known for his stellar collection of Modernist buildings by renowned architects. Designated a National Historic Landmark, First Christian Church is powerful in its simplicity. A 160-foot bell tower and a grid of raised limestone panels on the main façade provide its primary ornament. Inside, the windows, skylights, walls, and screens create the play of natural light and shadow typical of Saarinen designs. The skylight in the sanctuary features a waffle-like pattern of square dimpled glass panels with thick, rounded leading.

While it continues to illuminate the pulpit, the skylight shows rust and salt deposits on the leaky leading around the glass, and water damage is spreading to nearby surfaces. If not repaired soon, the skylight will become unsalvageable.

In 2016, Friends of First Christian Church Architecture (FFCCA) organized to support preservation of the church. The group is leading a campaign to raise $160,000 for repair and conservation of the skylight, working in partnership with First Christian Church, Indiana Landmarks, Landmark Columbus, and the Heritage Fund-Community Foundation of Bartholomew County (CFBC). This is only the first phase in the campaign; the group also plans to restore other distinctive features of the church, including the iconic bell tower.

To donate to the skylight restoration project, visit https://www.heritagefundbc.org/donate/. To learn more about the project, contact Mark Dollase, Indiana Landmarks’ Vice President of Preservation Services, at 317-639-4534, mdollase@indianalandmarks.org.

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