Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) located at the intersection of Barr and Madison Streets in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Founded in 1837, it is the second oldest Lutheran church in Indiana and the oldest in the northern part of the state. Thanks largely to its size and to the leadership of its pastors, it has long played a prominent role in Indiana Lutheranism and in the Missouri Synod as a whole.

Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church
Saint Paul's in 2012
Location1126 S. Barr St., Fort Wayne, Indiana
Coordinates41°4′32″N 85°8′8″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1889 (1889)
ArchitectWing & Mahurin
Architectural styleGothic
NRHP reference No.82000058[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 1, 1982

The congregation's first sanctuary was constructed in 1839, built on the site of the present sanctuary. The congregation constructed a second, wood frame church in 1847, building an addition to this structure in 1862. The present church was first completed and dedicated in 1889, but a 1903 fire forced a near-complete rebuild of the structure.

St. Paul's belongs to the Indiana District of the LCMS.

Ever since this first simple edifice was built, the congregation has maintained a house of worship on this spot, evermore enlarging its facilities to meet the demands of the growing membership. Thus, a second church building was provided in 1847, which building, however, soon became inadequate, making an addition necessary in 1862. Though two daughter congregations branched off to form new parishes during the next two decades, it again became necessary to provide more ample facilities."

It was designed by the architectural firm of Wing & Mahurin and is a High Victorian Gothic style church built in 1889. On September 15, 1889, a large church was erected. On December 3, 1903, there was a fire that left it in ruins. They began building it back up again, and in April 1905, they had gotten it back to its former glory. During the late 1940s it underwent renovation. Then it had modern improvements and enhancements as time went on. This grand church still exists today, along with the elementary school that accompanies it.[2][3]

The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[1]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Saint Paul's Lutheran Church - History. Retrieved on June 24, 2013.
  3. "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved 2015-07-01. Note: This includes T. Wayne Jones and Rosella Foelber (January 1990). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-07-01. and Accompanying photographs

Further reading
  • Bertram, Martin H., A Brief History of St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana (1962)
  • Burger, Mildred L., A Short History of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in Fort Wayne, Indiana (Fort Wayne: Fort Wayne Public Library, 1967)
  • Sauer, H. G. and J. W. Miller, Geschichte der Deutschen Ev.-Luth. St. Pauls-Gemeinde zu Fort Wayne, Ind., vom Jahre 1837 bis zum Jahre 1912 : Zum fünfundsiebzigsten Jubiläum der Gemeinde (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1912)
  • West, Thomas E. and Joan E. West, Now Thank We All Our God: St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church 175th Anniversary (Fort Wayne: 2012)



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