More on Church Architecture

As I had mentioned in the comment section of a previous post I thought it would be interesting to record and comment on church architecture from my area that I find appealing in addition to those that I may find elsewhere.

In the buildings that I am critical of it should not be taken as a slam or insult to the particular parish/congregation or denomination in question, but used only as a reference to what I feel is enjoyable seeker sensitive architecture and what is not. If you would like to comment on why you agree or disagree I would love to hear from you.



For our first entry I will keep it very basic and classic, the American Country Church. This specimen is now called the Frostville Village Church in North Olmsted, Ohio, but it has had several name over the last 160 years most notably Briggs Church after the family that had donated the land it originally sat on. The church was built by a group of Methodists for their use from 1847-1871 on the corner of what is now Lorain Road and Barton Road.



In 1871 the Methodist meeting moved and the church was sold to a Congregationalist congregation (the 2nd Congregation Church of Olmsted)for use for nearly 100 years and went through several modifications so that it had a different appearance altogether, as show in the black and white photo. The Congregationalists built a new church building next to the old church and the services were moved to the new building in 1964.



When the Second Congregational Church of Olmsted closed down in the 1970's the building were leased to various other groups, mostly non-denominational until about 2000 when the property was purchased by Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church. in 2003 Holy Resurrection kept the 1964 building for it's services and generously donated the old Briggs Church to the Olmsted Historical Society, which raised funds for the buildings moving and later restoration at the Frostville Museum site in Cleveland Metroparks System (located on the opposite end of North Olmsted)in 2005.

The OHS has nearly completed the restoration of the church to the way it looked in 1847 and is a prime example of a small rural American church of the mid-1800's.


Reference and Resources:

http://www.olmstedhistoricalsociety.org/Frostville_Village_Church_Revis.html

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