St. John's–St. Luke's Evangelical Church facts for kids
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St. John's–St. Luke's Evangelical Church
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| Location | 2120 Russell Street Detroit, Michigan |
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| Built | 1872 |
| Architect | Julius Hess et al. |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 82002907 |
| Added to NRHP | April 22, 1982 |
St. John's–St. Luke's Evangelical Church is a special old church in Detroit, Michigan. You can find it at 2120 Russell Street. This church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical building. It's part of the United Church of Christ group of churches.
Contents
History of the Church
How St. John's Started
St. John's Church is the oldest German Protestant church in Detroit. It was started way back in 1833. A pastor named Rev. Friedrich Schmid founded it. He came to America from Switzerland to help start new churches.
The very first church service happened on August 18, 1833. It wasn't in a church building yet! They met in a carpenter's shop owned by John Hais. Pastor Schmid led the church until 1836.
For a very long time, until 1938, only German was spoken during church services. St. John's Church was so important that it helped start twelve other German Protestant churches in Detroit.
St. Luke's Church and the Merger
St. Luke Evangelical Church was a different church that started later, in 1891. Many years later, in 1969, St. John's and St. Luke's churches decided to join together. This is why it's now called St. John's–St. Luke's Evangelical Church.
Church Building and Design
Outside the Church
The church building was first built in 1874. An architect named Julius Hess designed it. The front of the church has two towers. One tower is large, and the other is smaller. They stand on each side of the main entrance.
There's a big, tall, pointed window on the front, called a lancet window. The entrance also has a small, pointed roof over it, like a mini-house, which is called a gabled vestibule.
The outside of the church looks different now than it did originally. The church is made of brick. But in 1915, the outside was covered with something called Formstone. Formstone is a special type of concrete that looks like real stone.
Inside the Church
The inside of the church has a fancy design called High Victorian Gothic. This style often has tall, pointed arches and detailed decorations. The walls are painted white and gold. There's also beautiful wooden artwork inside.
The church has a special lighting system that is very old and important. It also has a large organ made by a company called Votteler. Organs are big musical instruments often found in churches.
