Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view of the renovation work being done on the tower at First Christian Church in Columbus, Ind., Friday, July 7, 2023.
Donors are technically within $50,000, or 2 percent, of scaling the pinnacle of an original $3.2 million capital campaign just adjusted to $3.1 million for the refurbishing of the iconic, 166-foot, brick First Christian Church tower on Fifth Street on d0wntown Columbus.
The edifice, designed in 1942 by prestigious Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen, has been one of the city’s most readily recognized silhouettes on artwork, logos and the like for decades. Plus, the church itself is the structure that launched the community’s now long-flourishing commitment to internationally recognized Modernist design.
Work is scheduled to be completed Dec. 4 by F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. of Indianapolis.
A promotional video for the campaign called the tower, “A home for a congregation. A beacon for a community. An architectural icon for a nation.” The fundraising effort began within the church in 2018, and spread communitywide in 2020.
Jeff Logston, chairman of the First Christian Capital Projects Fundraising Committee, said he has been impressed by donors’ generosity, grant agencies, local donors, church members and a host of other campaign partners. And he agreed that it’s time to celebrate, including at a Nov. 12 concert at the church (see the story on Saturday’s Faith & Community print section).
“I am just as much in awe of this fundraising process as I am at the actual structural rehabilitation,” Logston said.
He credited Wilhelm’s expertise with helping the project remain under budget and local architect Louis Joyner for his expert guidance during the effort.
“This has been honestly an awe-inspiring process to see such great collaboration across all these involved groups, secular or not, rallying together on behalf of this project,” Logston said.
Richard McCoy, executive director of the nonprofit Landmark Columbus Foundation, caring for the city’s architectural heritage, passed credit to several people for the successful fund drive.
“I think that, a large part of our ability to reach that goal is due to architect Louis J0yner and the faith people have in him making such good decisions about the tower,” McCoy said. “And we all know that the tower has meant nearly everything to Columbus.
“People immediately understand its value.”
McCoy added that architects visiting days ago on the air traffic control tower locally were”blown away” that the community was able to raise two-thirds of the total beyond the church membership.
“That in itself shows just how important the tower is to everyone,” McCoy said.
He also spread praise to Tracy Souza for her determined work as president and chief executive officer of the Heritage Fund — the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, the fiscal agent for the campaign.
“The generosity of the donors made the campaign a success,” Souza said. ”As others have pointed out, this community has a unique relationship with our buildings and this points out the important role those structures play in our quality of life and quality of place.”
She, in turn, passed credit to others for the successful campaign: Logston, Joyner, McCoy, and also Erin Hawkins, marketing director for the Columbus Area Visitors Center, who worked to update the public and keep the campaign very visible.
