•
First Christian Reformed
Church was founded when a small
group of members left the Second
Reformed Church of Grand Rapids,
Michigan in 1857 over doctrinal
differences. They founded what is now
First Christian Reformed Church, and
also had a role in forming the Christian
Reformed Church of North America
denomination. The congregation’s
current building, designed by the notable
Grand Rapids firm of J. & G. Daverman,
was dedicated in 1912. First CRC used its
$100,000 National Fund award to restore
the stained glass windows, repoint
exterior masonry, and replace the boiler.
•
Grace United Methodist Church
is an excellent example of late Gothic
Revival architecture, unique in the East
Dallas neighborhood. It was designed by
W. A. Cann, a leading church architect
from St. Louis, and incorporates stained
glass windows that were created by the
Kansas City Stained Glass Studios. In
order to maintain its magnificent
structure, Grace UMC used its $100,000
National Fund award to seal the
building’s envelope and repair damage
caused by water infiltration.
•
St. Paul’s United Methodist
Church descended from one of the
earliest Methodist congregations in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, founded in 1840. In
1909, St. Paul’s commissioned architect
Louis Sullivan—often called one of the
fathers of modern architecture—to design
a worship place and Sunday School for
the growing Methodist congregation.
After Sullivan resigned in 1912 over
budget disputes, his design was
simplified and completed by W.C. Jones
in 1914. St. Paul’s received an award
from the National Fund of $250,000 to
update its heating and cooling system.
Other finished projects include:
Christ Church in Philadelphia, Pa.;
Center Church in Hartford, Conn.; The
Lutheran Church of the Reformation in
Washington, D.C.; North Christian
Church in Columbus, Ind.; Shrine of
Christ the King in Chicago, Ill.; and
Trinity United Methodist Church in
Idaho Falls, Idaho.
National Fund team visit to Grace United Methodist Church, Dallas
Photo: Chad Martin
The National Fund
2019 Cohort
Thanks to generous support from Lilly Endowment, Inc., the
National Fund is excited to embark on another four-year cycle
of funding. Fifty more congregations will be invited to
participate beginning in 2020 and continuing through 2024.
Partners and the Trust look forward to working in new
geographic regions with more faith traditions, growing our
collective capacity to save these important historic landmarks.
In this spirit, we congratulate the National Fund’s most recent
awardees in the 2019–2020 cycle:
• St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans, La.
• Lovely Lane United Methodist Church, Baltimore, Md.
• St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Syracuse, N.Y.
• Second Presbyterian Church, Chicago, Ill.
• First Congregational Church, Sheridan, Wyo.
• Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin, Honolulu, Hawaii
• National City Christian Church, Washington, D.C.
• First Congregational Church of Long Beach, Calif.
• St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Trinity Episcopal Church, Abbeville, S.C.
SACRED PLACES • WINTER 2019
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