First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma, Washington)

First Presbyterian Church
First Presbyterian Church of Tacoma
First Presbyterian Church
47°15′47.6″N122°26′50.3″W / 47.263222°N 122.447306°W / 47.263222; -122.447306
Location	20 Tacoma Avenue South, Tacoma, Washington
Country	United States
Denomination	ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
Previous denomination	Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Churchmanship	Evangelical
Membership	460 (2012)
Website	fpctacoma.org
History
Founded	July, 1873
Architecture
Architect(s)	Ralph Adams Cram
Style	Romanesque Revival
Completed	1925
Construction cost	$500,000, equivalent to $8,965,000in 2024
Specifications
Height	165 feet (50 m) (tower)
Administration
Presbytery	Northwest & Alaska
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)	Dr. Eric Jacobsen [1]

First Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington is a historic congregation founded in 1873. Its current Romanesque building was designed by noted church architect Ralph Adams Cram, Mr. Earl N. Dugan (Sutton, Whitney and Dugan), who was locally in charge of construction, completed in 1925, and is a landmark of the Stadium District. ^[2] In 2012 the church voted to leave the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and affiliate with the more Evangelical, ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. ^[3] The church is adjacent to Tacoma Bible Presbyterian Church, which split off of First Presbyterian in 1935 and purchased the neighboring Scottish Rite Masonic Temple which fronts on the Wright Park Arboretum. ^[4]

Tower

The architect, Ralph Adams Cram, was a fervent Anglo-Catholic and devoted to imbuing his designs with rich symbolism. This is most visible at First Presbyterian in the decoration of the tower, which in earlier times served as a landmark for ships approaching the Port of Tacoma. It is 22 feet (6.7 m) by 26 feet (7.9 m) wide and 165 feet (50 m) tall. The tower houses a two-octave set of chimes, made by J.C. Deagan Company of Chicago, and the balustrade has a niche in the center of each side with a statue of one of the Four Evangelists. Each side of the octagonal dome bears a Christian symbol: ^[5]

Direction	Symbol	Image	Meaning
North	Square		Eternal life
Northeast	Triangle		The Trinity
East	Greek Cross		The Crucifixion of Jesus
Southeast	Star of Beauty		The Five wounds of Christ
South	Triquetra		The Trinity
Southwest	Seven-pointed star		Biblical sevens: Seven churches, Seven seals, Seven trumpets, etc...
West	IX monogram		Greek initials of Jesus Christ surrounded by a circle symbolizing eternity
Northwest	Six-pointed star		The Creator

References

1. Freedman, Samuel G. (December 29, 2007). "Staff Chaplain Sets a Restaurant Chain Apart". New York Times.
2. "Our History". First Presbyterian Church of Tacoma, Washington.
3. Maynard, Steve (April 27, 2012). "Presbytery dismisses four churches in gay spat". The Olympian.
4. McGinnis, Melissa; Beard-Simpkins, Doreen (2008). Tacoma's Wright Park. Arcadia Publishing. p. 63. ISBN   978-0738559322.
5. "The Church Tower". First Presbyterian Church of Tacoma.

External links

• Official website
• Virtual tour of the sanctuary Archived 2018-10-17 at the Wayback Machine