COLUMBUS, Ind. — Friends of First Christian Church Architecture (FFCCA) have established a partnership with First Christian Church, Landmark Columbus, and Heritage Fund-The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County to maintain the design elements of the Eliel and Eero Saarinen church that was opened in 1942.
The first public meeting is scheduled for January 24, in the church on Fifth Street, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will feature a historic overview of the church and a presentation about the sanctuary skylight rehabilitation project. Efforts are underway to repair the leaking skylight and maintain the architectural features of the building.
“This is an important project for us, and we are pleased to be partnering with Heritage Fund and Landmark Columbus to find a way to properly address a critical church issue,” said Alan Gilbert, a First Christian Church Trustee and chair of the FFCCA Advisory Board. “The skylight is a signature part of the sanctuary, and we are reaching out to the broader community to help us rehabilitate it in an excellent way.”
The cost of rehabilitating the sanctuary skylight is $160,908. The First Christian Church has committed $50,000 to the project.
Members of the FFCCA are Frank Clark, Alan Gilbert, Jon Reynolds, Steve Wiggins, Mark Dollase, Steve Forster, Richard McCoy and Tracy Souza.
Heritage Fund-The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County can receive tax-deductible donations for the project. More information is online at heritagefundbc.org/.
