North Christian Church, Columbus, Indiana

North Christian Church and its site are in transition from a house of worship to a secular purpose, as part of a public library system. This presents an intriguing opportunity and challenge for creative solutions highlighting the unique design by Eero Saarinen and his colleagues, while devising appropriate designs for the new use.  

The first two decades after WWII witnessed the design and construction of many modern houses of worship and churches by prominent architects in many communities across the country. Columbus, Indiana, in particular, is home to several important churches, North Christian Church among them. Conceptually designed by Eero Saarinen, the building was completed by his office after his untimely death in 1961. With its large hexagonal pitched roof rising to create a 192-foot tall spire, the church is recognizable from a distance.

One enters the fully landscaped site from Tipton Lane via a scenic driveway that leads through a maple allée border, past groves of magnolias, to the parking grounds, consisting of ‘rooms’ formed by trees and hedges. Raised above grade, the church is accessed from the parking lot, to the east of its entrance. Stairs ascend the berms to the narthex and interior stairs ascend to the nave, where the sculptural organ to the west provides the path’s culmination. Inside the centrally organized nave, the large hexagonal ceiling, lit from its perimeter, seems to float.

History of Design and Construction

The design and construction of North Christian Church was a collaboration between Eero Saarinen and Associates and a congregation with such prominent members as J. Irwin and Xenia Miller. Since Eero Saarinen passed unexpectedly, collaboration included office associates, namely Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo, Maurice B. Allen, and Paul Kennon, who completed the church after his death. The landscape was the work of Dan Kiley and Alexander Girard designed textiles and liturgical objects.

J. Irwin Miller was a wealthy industrialist and philanthropist who headed the Cummins Engine Company and had a keen interest in architecture. He established the Cummins Foundation, created “To encourage architectural excellence in Bartholemew County”[1], by assisting publicly-funded facilities in selecting and funding design services.

As a distinguished member of the newly established Disciples of Christ congregation, Miller recommended Eero Saarinen for the design of the new church. Miller met Eero during the construction of First Christian Church, designed by Eero’s father Eliel Saarinen and completed in 1942.  Prior to the church commission, Eero had been hired to design the family’s summer home in Windermere, Ontario, completed in 1952, the Irwin Conference Center (formerly Irwin Union Bank), completed in 1954, and the Miller House and Garden in Columbus, completed in 1957.

In the book Eero Saarinen On His Work: A selection of buildings dating 1947-1964 [2], Saarinen’s words clearly describe the design he envisioned: a cathedral-like structure, where the sanctuary and the spire dominate the landscape. Commenting on church designs of the period, where lesser functions overshadow the sanctuary, he saw one geometrically-simple structure, with all planes rising “organically into the spire.” He describes the importance of the procession, and the symbolism of ascending into the sanctuary. He envisioned the church situated within a beautiful landscape. With its centrality in the liturgy of the Disciples of Christ, the communion table would be centrally located with the seating organized equally around it, to create a sense of being joined together in an enclosed spiritual world. He considered light crucial in creating a spiritual atmosphere and envisioned a central oculus lighting the communion table, and a “contracting” light in the seating area.

The resulting design was an elongated hexagonal plan, a geometric motif repeated throughout, a one-story structure, with a buried lower-level, under a large hexagonal sloped roof rising to form a dominating spire. The building is surrounded by cultivated berms and sits on a 13-acre site fully developed by landscape architect Dan Kiley.

After Saarinen’s sudden death, Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo took over the practice and developed the working drawings, with construction completed in 1964. The names of Paul Kennon and Maurice B. Allen, associates in the office, appear regularly in the different meeting minutes and correspondence. Dan Kiley, and Alexander Girard, who were both also involved in the design of the Miller House, were respectively responsible for the landscape and the design of textiles, ceremonial flatware, chalices, and vestments for the church.

Kiley was not brought in until after the building was completed, in the summer of 1964. The site at the time was smaller, and shaped like a grand piano occupying the northeastern corner of the existing site. An initial site design out of Saarinen’s office was modified by Kiley to include a grove of magnolias to the north of the building and another to the south, with trees surrounding and separating the parking bays. Ground coverage and flowers were to be planted on the berms and in the moats to soften the strict geometry of the building. The planting scheme of the magnolia groves extended the geometry of the building onto the landscape, while at the same time the orthogonal rows tied the site to the Columbus town grid.

By 1971 the congregation had grown to 400, and the parking and driveway became insufficient. Around the same time, the church site was expanded to more than double its original size. In Kiley’s final plan for the larger site, issued in 1974, the southern magnolia grove was further extended, following the existing geometry, and a large lawn was planned south of the parking lot. The enhanced parking was delineated by arborvitae and maple trees. A strong symmetrical axis emphasized the processional experience into the narthex and sanctuary. West of the parking, new trees were planted along a grid, and maple allées were planted along Sycamore Street, and Tipton Lane, to the east and south.

Subsequent minor alterations were carried out by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates (KRJDA) and local firms Storrow|Kinsella, Todd Williams and Louis Joyner.

While the church was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000, and in 2016 it received a substantial grant, the congregation continued to shrink and on July 16, 2022, held its last service at the church. On August 1, 2022 ownership of the building was transferred to the Columbus Capital Foundation, an interim custodian, until a new and appropriate use could be found.

In a public ceremony on April 8, 2025, the building was added as a branch of the Bartholomew County Public Library and renamed the LEX (Library of Experience). Refurbishing and improvements to accessibility are required before the branch officially opens, sometime in 2028. Meanwhile, the community is making use of the grounds.[3]

The Building

Henry Pfisterer, the original structural engineer for the church, described the structure as “a steel hat sitting over a concrete bowl,” with the sanctuary as the “concrete bowl,” and the roof with and spire as the “steel hat.” Six rigid steel frames, exposed at their corners, support the roof and spire. Downspouts at the corners carry runoff from gutters hidden in the upturned fascia to drains cast within the concrete base.

The concrete lower level is lit by clerestory windows made possible by the surrounding moats, or light-wells created by berms in the landscape.

At the center of the structure is the hexagon-shaped bowl holding the base of the nave, or sanctuary. The underside of the bowl, in a bush-hammered finish, provides the interior wall and ceiling of the narthex corridor. Surrounding the corridor, along the north and south, are mostly administrative functions, enclosed by a curtain wall of glass and wood mullions reminiscent of Saarinen’s corporate designs. At the east and west ends of the building are the narthex and the baptistry/chapel.

In section, the rough plaster hexagonal ceiling underneath the roof slopes down starting from over the center of the nave down past the exterior curtain wall. A band of clear glass separates the downward sloping ceiling from the concrete core. The curtain wall is held back approximately 12 feet from the roof fascia so that the roof seems to hover just above the berms.

In the nave, natural light plays an important role. An oculus is at the center of the ceiling, directly below the spire, with a second, more subtle light originating behind the top pews at the edge of the nave ‘bowl’ where the surrounding glass strip is located. This natural light at the perimeter makes the ceiling and roof seem immaterial and suspended. Saarinen’s inspiration for this lighting seems to have been a night in a mountain village in Sparta, where he experienced the moon shining brightly overhead, and a hushed light on the horizon[1].

The other significant liturgical space is the baptistry/chapel located at the west entrance. The space was designed to accommodate not only baptisms but was also adaptable to other more intimate ceremonies. The baptismal pool – designed to accommodate baptism by immersion – could also be covered. Louvered sliding wood partitions allowed the space to be closed for greater privacy. Fixed seats are arranged facing the pool and focus on a large cross at its head. Mounted on a white tile wall behind a stainless-steel screen, the cross is dramatically lit from above. With the wall and screen barely discernible, the cross seems suspended in mid-air.

Significance

North Christian Church is significant on several levels, historically, socio-culturally and architecturally, making its preservation important.

Historically, it was part of a larger civic infrastructure comprised of a collection of modernist architectural landmarks in Columbus, all defined by a shared civic-centered commitment to the betterment and benefit of the community. It was also part of the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller family legacy of community leadership and religious institution building in Columbus[1].

Socially and culturally, North Christian Church was a forward-looking religious institution in addressing faith and social justice and inequities of race, gender and sexuality.

The site and building are, without question, architecturally significant.

The church’s design represents an important milestone in postwar ecclesiastical design but also in Saarinen’s own oeuvre. He considered it one of his most important designs. It is also the result of a collaboration of several designers who achieved prominence, and who would all continue to play a significant role in the continuing architectural legacy of Columbus. Chiefly among them were Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo, who ran the office after Saarinen’s death to complete outstanding projects like the church, and who remained involved with the church and Columbus after founding their own practice. Paul Kennon, Maurice Allen, and John Kinsella, who all began their career in Saarinen’s office, were involved in completing the church and subsequently in other Columbus projects. Alexander Girard and landscape architect Dan Kiley contributed to the design of the church and to many other Columbus projects.

Preservation Efforts

In 2019, Landmark Columbus Foundation[2] was awarded a planning grant from the Getty to prepare a long term planning document, a Conservation Management Plan (CMP), for North Christian Church. The goal was to provide guidance for long-term preservation recommendations in light of inevitable changes.[3]

The CMP included several assessments including historic, socio-cultural, and architectural. Records located in different archives were consulted for the historic assessment.[4]

Surveys of the buildings and grounds found the building to be in generally good condition, retaining almost all its original features.

Despite the loss of several trees, and despite some changes to the plantings surrounding the parking lot, the landscape also maintained the clear spatial organization evident in Dan Kiley’s 1974 design.

Recommendations

During the CMP project, the congregation was dissolved, and the building and grounds were transferred to an interim custodian. This changed the premise for the recommendations, and possible new secular uses were considered.

The recommendations were grouped into three distinct categories reflecting degrees of significance and respective levels of changes which could be tolerated.

The recommendations in the CMP were presented in two ways, graphically and descriptively. Graphically, the relative significance of different spaces was presented in color coded zones in both plans and sections. These diagrams were accompanied by detailed descriptions of the overall, as well as of particular components and details, of the building and grounds.

The overall form and entire exterior building envelope are considered highly significant and should be maintained and preserved to the fullest extent. Its monumental silhouette and expressive form contribute to the impact of the building.

One of the most important features in the design is the nave, and particularly the creative use of daylight. This is best understood in section. All spaces located immediately under the hexagonal roof and ceiling were to be preserved to allow for uninterrupted access to daylight. In accordance, the nave, narthex and baptistery were established to be of primary significance. The narthex hallway and the peripheral spaces above the administrative functions were also highly significant, due to their importance in maintaining access to daylight.

On the narthex level, the peripheral administrative spaces were deemed slightly less critical except in maintaining the strict modularity of walls, ceilings and exterior windows. The only exception would be the library space, which still includes all the original Saarinen-designed furnishings and fittings.

The whole lower level, which consists mostly of plain rooms with concrete walls, has little or no impact on the exterior, was deemed the least significant and most suitable for change.

The original dark palette of the interior finishes and fixtures was considered significant and recommended for preservation.

Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and lighting would require updating or replacing. Though some visually significant design elements are related to these systems, and should be preserved.

With the conversion from religious building to secular use, the preservation of religious symbols germane to the original use and worthy of preservation presented a challenge. Examples are the fit-outs and furnishings in spaces like the nave and baptistry, some of which, like Saarinen’s communal table and Girard’s tapestries, are removable. Other religious artifacts, including textiles, liturgical vestments and objects, many designed by Alexander Girard are significant and will be relocated.

Special mention was made of the Holtkamp organ. Located at the west end of the nave, it is a significant visual feature upon entry in the nave, and an important musical instrument. 

For the landscape, recommendation was to preserve the defining features of the 1974 design – the gridded plantings, the organizing axes, the experiential approach – while maintaining plant health and planning for future necessary replacements. Infrastructure would also require updating.

The significant building with its distinctive design for a particular purpose presents a challenge that deserves and requires a great deal of creativity in its adaptation to a new and secular use. The Conservation Management Plan presents guidance by assigning significance to the different components and by suggesting how functional and infrastructural needs and changes can be accommodated without disrupting but rather enhancing the design quality that Eero Saarinen and colleagues have left us.

Citations

[1] https://columbus.in.us/cummins-foundation/

[2] Ed. Saarinen, Eero. Saarinen, Aline B.: Eero Saarinen On His Work: A selection of buildings dating 1947-1964, New York: Yale University Press; First Edition (January 1, 1962)

 [3] Four generations of business and philanthropic activity locally and nationally https://bcplarchives.omeka.net/exhibits/show/301/ismfamily

[4] Landmark Columbus Foundation is an advocacy group whose mission is to promote and cultivate the cultural heritage of Columbus, Indiana and Bartholomew County. https://landmarkcolumbusfoundation.org/about

[5] The text of the CMP can be found at the following link: https://www.getty.edu/foundation/initiatives/current/keeping_it_modern/report_library/north_christian_church.html

[6] The church archives, Yale University Library, Columbus Indiana, the Smithsonian Institution, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Library of Congress were consulted. Additional archive locations, namely the Papers of Dan Kiley at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the Maurice B. Allen papers at Cranbrook Academy, could not be accessed due to the pandemic.

About the Authors

Authors Dorit Zemer and Theodore Prudon are part of Prudon & Partners, which led the preservation effort. Team members also included: Wiss Janney Elstner Associates (WJE); Building Conservation Associates (BCA); Kronenberger & Sons Restoration (KSR); Highland Greene Foundation; Old Structures Engineering; and Mezalick Design Studio.

Dorit Zemer is an architectural designer and preservation practitioner in New York City, where she has been a part of Prudon & Partners since 2016. Dorit studied architecture at the Technion in Israel, and at the University of Illinois in Chicago, where she received her bachelor’s degree. She holds a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Her experience includes additions and alterations to landmark buildings in Israel, and restoration and preservation of historically and architecturally significant structures in the New York area. With generous support from Getty, Dorit worked on the Conservation Management Plans for Eero Saarinen’s North Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana, and Wallace Harrison’s First Presbyterian Church in Stamford, Connecticut.

Theodore Prudon, FAIA, FAPT, is a leading expert on the preservation of modern architecture and a practicing architect in New York City. Dr. Prudon has worked on the terra cotta restoration of the Woolworth Building, the exterior restoration of the Chrysler Building, and of a 1941 Lescaze townhouse in Manhattan. Dr. Prudon teaches preservation at Columbia University and Pratt Institute. He is the recipient of a Graham Foundation Individual grant for his book Preservation of Modern Architecture. He is the founding President of Docomomo US and a board member of Docomomo International.