First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)
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First Christian Church
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Streetside view of the church
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| Location | 531 Fifth St., Columbus, Indiana |
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| Coordinates | 39°12′11″N 85°55′8″W / 39.20306°N 85.91889°WCoordinates: 39°12′11″N 85°55′8″W / 39.20306°N 85.91889°W |
| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Architect | Eliel Saarinen |
| Architectural style | International Modern |
| NRHP Reference # | 01000067 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 3, 2001 |
| Designated NHL | January 3, 2001 |
The First Christian Church (originally known as the Tabernacle Church of Christ) in Columbus, Indiana, was built in 1942. It was the first contemporary building in Columbus and one of the first churches in the United States to be built in a contemporary architectural style.
The building, designed by Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, consists of a glass-fronted main hall, with a tower and bridge section. Interior details such as light fixtures, screen and furniture were designed by Saarinen's son Eero Saarinen (who would later design the North Christian Church in Columbus) and Charles Eames.
The building was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 2001.
A larger church was needed to accommodate the growing needs of the congregation between World War I and World War II. Linnie I. Sweeney, the wife of Reverend Z. T. Sweeney, and her brother W. G. Irwin first discussed plans for a Gothic or Early American church, but her son and his nephew J. Irwin Miller, who had been following an architectural appreciation course at Yale University, proposed the idea for a Modern church instead. Designing and building the church became a two-generation family affair.
The family was introduced to Eliel Saarinen through the Reverend’s daughter Nettie Sweeney Miller, who became chairwoman of the building committee. Saarinen had only built one church before, in Lithuania, and was apprehensive about the project until he heard the proposal for the building:
Our town is small and there are all sorts and conditions of men. While we should like the church to be beautiful, we do not want the first reaction to be, how much did the church cost. We want the poorest women in town to feel at home there and able to worship her God in those surroundings.
Saarinen, the son of a Lutheran pastor, was thrilled by the idea and agreed to design the building. He disliked overly indulgent and theatrical churches and believed Gothic and Georgian style churches were overdone and no longer relevant.
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