St. John's [German] Lutheran Church | |
 St. John's Lutheran Church from the northwest | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Isanti, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°30′0.6″N93°17′20.4″W / 45.500167°N 93.289000°W Coordinates: 45°30′0.6″N93°17′20.4″W / 45.500167°N 93.289000°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1882 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| MPS | Isanti County MRA |
| NRHP reference # | 80002072 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 24, 1980 |
Historic St. John's Lutheran Church (German Evangelical Lutheran Church) is an historic church in Bradford Township, Minnesota, United States. The church was built by German immigrants, who were among the earliest settlers in Isanti County, Minnesota. German settlers in the southeastern portion of Bradford Township wanted their own church with services in their native language. Church services were held in members' homes until the church was formally organized in 1882 and a building was built on donated land. [2]
Bradford Township is a township in Isanti County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,472 at the 2000 census.
Isanti County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 37,816. Its county seat is Cambridge.
The building is one story high, built in the Greek Revival style, with white clapboard siding on the exterior. The interior was heated with a simple wood stove at the back of the church, and lit with kerosene lamps and Coleman Quick-Lite chandeliers. It also did not have running water or inside bathrooms. The chancel and pulpit were donated by a church in Osseo, Minnesota, that was doing its own renovations. The community never had a congregation large enough to justify having a full-time pastor. The church relied on lay people to do readings, as well as sharing a pastor with St. John's of Weber, Minnesota. Pastor F.J. Mack, who served from 1924 through 1945, began offering services in English and stopped offering services in German. In 1959, the congregation decided to merge with St. John's of Weber after facing declining membership. [2]
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. It revived the style of ancient Greek architecture, in particular the Greek temple, with varying degrees of thoroughness and consistency. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture, which had for long mainly drawn from Roman architecture. The term was first used by Charles Robert Cockerell in a lecture he gave as Professor of Architecture to the Royal Academy of Arts, London in 1842.
Clapboard, also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of these terms, is wooden siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping.
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary, at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. It is generally the area used by the clergy and choir during worship, while the congregation is in the nave. Direct access may be provided by a priest's door, usually on the south side of the church. This is one definition, sometimes called the "strict" one; in practice in churches where the eastern end contains other elements such as an ambulatory and side chapels, these are also often counted as part of the chancel, especially when discussing architecture. In smaller churches, where the altar is backed by the outside east wall and there is no distinct choir, the chancel and sanctuary may be the same area. In churches with a retroquire area behind the altar, this may only be included in the broader definition of chancel.
In 1976, a restoration project saved the church from destruction, and around this time, the church and its grounds were deeded to the Isanti County Historical Society. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, but the building again fell into disrepair – until 2004, when a group, The Friends of Historic St. John's, Inc., [now a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization] was formed to support the renovation. With the help of over 300 financial contributors and hard working volunteers, major restoration was completed. The building and grounds are now used for traditional German cultural programs, weddings, christenings, and memorial services. [2]
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.
