On November 15, 2019, Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill, 105 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55103 was notified that its building was now listed in the National Register of Historical Places. Our application had been submitted in August of 2019 to the National Park Service.
Christ Lutheran on Capitol Hill is significant under the National Register Criterion for its architecture as a distinctive example of the Beaux Arts style within the context of Protestant churches. The congregation chose the aesthetic of the new edifice, constructed in 1915, to be in harmony with the newly completed Minnesota State Capitol, located diagonally across the street.
The Beaux Arts style ran counter to both the stylistic trends and the theological prescriptions of Lutheran churches especially, and Protestant churches generally. Often Protestant churches were more inspired by the Gothic and Romanesque style.
Christ Lutheran has been an active, vital congregation for over 150 years. We have added on to our building to accommodate our congregation’s ministry and to also provide space for agencies and organizations that serve the needs of our community and our state. Examples include the use of our new commercial kitchen by Shobi’s Table which is a food truck ministry, Good Acre which connects communities and people through good food, and West Indies Food Truck which focuses on healthy living for people of color. Lutheran Advocacy Minnesota, Daily Work which works with job seekers as they seek employment, and the Saint Paul Area Synod of the ELCA have offices within the facility. In addition to the home congregation, worship space is provided for Rock of Ages Baptist congregation.
We are humbled by this important recognition. Being on the National Register of Historic Places reminds us of the confidence and expectations by people outside the church relative to the importance of our ministry. We are most thankful to our foremothers and forefathers who labored in abiding faith to care for this building and who carried out God’s ministry with our community and to the wider world. We feel a deep obligation to continue to maintain and preserve this building for God’s mission, both for today and for our future.
