Republic file photo Engineers inspect the First Christian Church tower in 2019.
A campaign that was seen as a tall order for a tall, cracking tower is now within $240,000 of its $3.2 million goal.
The Save Our Tower fundraiser for designer Eliel Saarinen’s First Christian Church iconic 165-foot brick tower generated $110,000 the final week of 2022, according to organizers.
Jeff Logston is chairman of the First Christian Capital Projects Fundraising Committee that has worked alongside the Friends of First Christian Church Architecture, The Heritage Fund — the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, and Landmark Columbus on the effort. He called that end-of-the-year progress “very encouraging and exciting.”
Ideally, Logston, who has expressed extreme gratitude for all support throughout the push, had hoped to finish the drive by Dec. 31.
“We are overwhelmed with the continued support for the project,” he said.
Donations continue to be accepted at the church at 531 Fifth St. in downtown Columbus and at saveourtower.org and heritagefundbc.org, the campaign’s fiscal agent and a catalyst for a plethora of community projects.
Tracy Souza, Heritage Fund president and chief executive officer, pointed out a unique aspect of the campaign that has allowed it to especially flourish.
“I don’t think we ever could have done this much without Landmark Columbus,” she said, referring to the nonprofit entity formed in 2015 to care for Bartholomew County’s cultural heritage that includes architectural landmarks.
Souza mentioned that Richard McCoy, the foundation’s executive director, has been a key to attract donors well beyond Columbus and particularly those who are passionate about elements such as artistic and architectural preservation.
A total of $2 million of the campaign has come from beyond Bartholomew County, according to leaders.
“I think that all of us working together have been a good team,” Souza said of the different entities and leaders.
The goal is to restore the partially cracking tower that rises above the first Modernist structure in the city that spurred Columbus to become a treasured architectural destination.
An engineering study done in 2018 found that normal aging amid the elements had led to significant deterioration in the structure, especially the top third segment. That study highlighted that repairs ideally should be done within three to four years to keep the tower safe.
The study also revealed that the tower is twisting, shifting and pulling apart, according to Logston.
Logston said the tentative timeline is for restoration work to begin in the spring and take about eight months to complete.
How you can help
Donations may be made to saveourtower.org or to heritagefundbc.org
