Old Stone Church (Cleveland, Ohio)

Last updated
Old Stone Church
Old Stone Church Cleveland April 2023.jpg
The Old Stone Church in 2023
Location91 Public Square Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Coordinates 41°30′1″N81°41′41″W / 41.50028°N 81.69472°W / 41.50028; -81.69472
Built1855
ArchitectHeard & Porter; Schweinfurth, Charles
Architectural styleRomanesque
NRHP reference No. 73001414 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 23, 1973

The Old Stone Church is a historic Presbyterian church located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and is the oldest building on Public Square. It is also the second church built within the city limits. [2]

Contents

History

In June 1819, the Union Sunday School began meeting on the site of the current church, and on September 19, 1820, fifteen Clevelanders, some ten percent of the then-village's population, signed a charter officially establishing the congregation. It was formally incorporated in 1827 as The First Presbyterian Society, and in 1834 the first church was built out of gray sandstone. The interior featured a gallery suspended by iron rods, reportedly a first in a Cleveland public building, as well as the city's first pipe organ. Because of its building materials, First Presbyterian was called "the Stone Church," and as other stone churches were erected in the area, it became known as the "Old Stone Church." [3]

By 1853, the congregation had outgrown the original building, so the church was razed, and a larger replacement was built on the same spot. The Romanesque Revival church, dedicated on August 12, 1855, was also made of local sandstone, and was designed by architects Charles Heard and Simeon Porter. [3]

A series of fires

Old Stone Church on Public Square circa 1910 Cleveland OH Old Stone Church PHS857.jpg
Old Stone Church on Public Square circa 1910

Nineteen months later, on March 7, 1857, fire struck the church. Water from the hand-pumped fire engines was unable to reach the 250-foot steeple, which came crashing down onto Ontario Street.

Despite this, the building remained mostly intact, and reconstruction began almost immediately. The church was rededicated on January 17, 1858.

The second fire occurred on January 5, 1884, spreading to the church from the adjoining Wick Building's Park Theater. Despite the sturdy construction of the building, the interior was gutted. Afterward, the congregation considered a move to E. 55th Street and Euclid Avenue, but it was eventually decided to keep the original location, after pressure from influential members including John Hay. [3]

Architect Charles Schweinfurth was hired to head the reconstruction of the church, which was dedicated on October 19, 1884. Subsequent additions to the church include three Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows, a John La Farge triple window overlooking Public Square, and a Holtkamp Organ Company organ. [2]

Present day

The church prior to the restoration project Old Stone Church (Cleve, OH).jpg
The church prior to the restoration project

The Old Stone Church has stood virtually unchanged to this day, and is the last remaining church designed by the Heard and Porter architectural firm. [4] The only major modification was the 1999 addition of a steeple that replicated the original, part of a $2.4 million renovation project, which also included cleaning the Berea sandstone (which had turned black from air pollution) and conservation of the La Farge window. [3] The Old Stone Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. [5]

Clergy (1820–1920)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Scotch Church</span> Historic church in Oregon, United States

The Old Scotch Church, also known as the Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church, is a church and national historic site located in an unincorporated part of Washington County, Oregon, near Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The church dates to 1873 while the church structure with an eight-sided steeple dates to 1878. A cemetery on the church grounds holds the graves of church members and local pioneer settlers of the Tualatin Plains, including Joseph Meek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government Street Presbyterian Church</span> Historic church in Alabama, United States

Government Street Presbyterian Church in Mobile, Alabama is one of the oldest and least-altered Greek Revival church buildings in the United States. The architectural design is by James Gallier Sr., James H. Dakin, and Charles Dakin. The trio also designed Barton Academy, four blocks down Government Street to the west. Government Street Presbyterian reflects the influences of Ithiel Town, Minard Lafever, and Andrew Jackson Downing. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John's Episcopal Church (Detroit)</span> Church in Detroit, Michigan, United States

St. John's Episcopal Church is an antebellum-era church located at 2326 Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest church still standing on Woodward Avenue, an area once called Piety Hill for its large number of religious buildings. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Unitarian Church of Detroit</span> Historic church in Michigan, United States

The First Unitarian Church of Detroit was located at 2870 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. Built between 1889 and 1890, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was destroyed by fire on May 10, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Street Presbyterian Church (Detroit)</span> Historic church in Michigan, United States

The Fort Street Presbyterian Church is located at 631 West Fort Street in Detroit, Michigan. It was constructed in 1855, and completely rebuilt in 1877. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971. Its steeple stands 265 ft (81 m), making it one of the tallest churches in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyde Park Reformed Dutch Church</span> Historic church in New York, United States

Hyde Park Dutch Reformed Church is located on US 9 in the center of Hyde Park, New York, United States, just north of the post office and the junction with Market Street at the center of town. It is a complex of several buildings on a 2-acre (0.81 ha) lot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Church (Batavia, New York)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The First Presbyterian Church in Batavia, New York, United States, is located at East Main and Liberty streets. It is a joined complex of several buildings. The main one, the church's sanctuary, is a limestone Gothic Revival structure built in the mid-19th century. Its congregation was the first church to be organized in Batavia, albeit as a Congregationalist group at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Patrick's Catholic Church (Toledo, Ohio)</span> United States historic place

The Church of St. Patrick is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church at 130 Avondale Avenue in Toledo, Ohio, in the Diocese of Toledo. It is noted for its historic parish church, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Church of Redmond</span> Historic church in Oregon, United States

Built in 1912, the First Presbyterian Church of Redmond is the oldest standing church structure in the city of Redmond, Oregon, United States. It is also the second-oldest religious building in Deschutes County. The church was built in the Gothic Revival style with Queen Anne architectural detailing. It was the home of Protestant congregations from 1912 until 1979. Today, the building is privately owned and used as a special events venue. The First Presbyterian Church of Redmond was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Peter's Presbyterian Church</span> Historic church in New York, United States

St. Peter's Presbyterian Church is located at the junction of New York State Route 203 and South Street in Spencertown, New York, United States. It is a tall frame building in a style similar to those found in New England, the native region of many of the area's original 18th century settlers. Just to its east is Spencertown Cemetery, with graves dating to 1760, shortly after the area was settled and the congregation formed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Augustine's Catholic Church (Napoleon, Ohio)</span> Historic church in Ohio, United States

St. Augustine's Catholic Church is a historic church in Napoleon, Ohio, United States. Located on the edge of the city's downtown, two blocks away from the Henry County Courthouse, the church is a prominent landmark in Napoleon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Church (Napoleon, Ohio)</span> Historic church in Ohio, United States

First Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian church in the city of Napoleon, Ohio, United States. Located at 303 W. Washington Street, it has been recognized as a historic site because of its unusual architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Episcopal Church (Plainfield, New Jersey)</span> Historic church in New Jersey, United States

Grace Church or Grace Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church located at 600 Cleveland Avenue in Plainfield, Union County, New Jersey, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 10, 2002, for its significance in architecture, art, and music from 1892 to 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Church (Marion, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

First Presbyterian Church is located in Marion, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Church (Portland, Oregon)</span> Historic church in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The First Presbyterian Church is a church building located in downtown Portland, Oregon, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Construction began in 1886 and was completed in 1890. The building has been called "one of the finest examples" of High Victorian Gothic architecture in the state of Oregon. It includes stained-glass windows made by Portland's Povey Brothers Art Glass Works and a church bell cast with bronze from captured Civil War cannons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First United Presbyterian Church (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)</span> Historic church in Michigan, United States

First United Presbyterian Church is a historic church at 309 Lyon Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Thomas' Church, Parkgate</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Thomas' Church is in School Lane, Parkgate, Cheshire, England. It is an Anglican chapel of ease in the parish of St Mary and St Helen, Neston, the deanery of Wirral South, the archdeaconry of Chester, and the diocese of Chester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. Because of its earlier associations with the fishing community, it has been called the "Fisherman's Church".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Street Presbyterian Church</span> Heritage-listed church in Brisbane, Queensland

Ann Street Presbyterian Church is a heritage-listed church at 141 Ann Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1858 by Joshua Jeays, altered and extended in 1897 to a design by Alexander Brown Wilson with further extensions designed by Douglas Francis Woodcraft Roberts in 1936. The church was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Paul's Presbyterian Church, Spring Hill</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

St Paul's Presbyterian Church is a heritage-listed church at 43 St Pauls Terrace, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1887 to 1889 by Thomas Rees. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick Uniting Church</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Warwick Uniting Church is a heritage-listed church at 37 Guy Street, Warwick, Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1869 to 1922. It is also known as St Andrews Presbyterian Church. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 March 2000.

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "First Presbyterian Church (Old Stone)". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, March 27, 1998. Accessed October 23, 2006.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Old Stone History". Old Stone Church. Accessed October 23, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Old Stone Church." National Park Service. Accessed October 25, 2006.
  5. ↑ "Old Stone Church" Emporis. Accessed October 25, 2006.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.