Saint John's Lutheran Church (Adrian, Michigan)

	St. John's Lutheran Church
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Michigan State Historic Site
	Location within the state of MichiganShow map of MichiganShow map of the United StatesShow all
Location	121 South Locust Street; Adrian, Michigan
Coordinates	41°53′46″N 84°1′50″W / 41.89611°N 84.03056°WCoordinates: 41°53′46″N 84°1′50″W / 41.89611°N 84.03056°W
Built	1861
Architect	Matthes, Kaumeier, Steffan
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.	84000544
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 27, 1984
Designated MSHS	February 23, 1981

Saint John's Lutheran Church is an active church building located at 121 South Locust Street in the city of Adrian in Lenawee County, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan State Historic State on February 23, 1981 and shortly after listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 1984.^[1]^[2] The Lutheran congregation moved to a new home in 2007, and the church building now houses the Reformed Baptist Church of Lenawee.^[3]

History[]

The congregation itself dates back to October 10, 1847 when Reverend Wilhelm Hattstaedt of Monroe, Michigan, organized the "German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Adrian, Michigan."^[4] Their first church was completed in 1849, and attendance consisted of a small number of German Episcopalians. The first full-time pastor was Reverend Phillip J. Trautmann, who came to head in 1850. A new church was soon built to serve a growing number of German immigrants in Adrian. The current building was originally constructed in 1861 in the style of Gothic Revival architecture by architects C. F. Matthes, John C. Kaumeier, and Pastor Steffan. The building is notable as one of the oldest surviving thoroughly Gothic Revival Lutheran church buildings in Michigan. It was consecrated on June 29, 1862. The brick structure was originally a modest rectangular building until transepts were added in 1896. The stained glass windows were added in 1914.^[2]

The church's congregation continues to serve the Lutheran community of Adrian, but on July 8, 2007 moved to a new location at 3448 North Adrian Highway (M-52), 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of the old church.^[4]^[5] The older church building was sold to the Reformed Baptist Church of Lenawee, which began using the church in late 2007 and continues to use it as of 2017.^[3]

Description[]

Saint John's Lutheran Church is a red brick Gothic Revival structure built in a cruciform plan. It sits on a sandstone foundation, and has a low pitched gable roof and partially projecting tower in the front. The main entrance is in the base of the tower, and is through double doors within a recessed arch. The tower is topped with an octagonal belfry. The corners of the church have angled buttresses topped with metal pinnacles, and the side walls are divided into bays by piers.^[6]

On the interior, the entry is through a small vestibule in the case of the tower. Stairways lead up to the balcony and down to the full basement, and the auditorium opens off the vestibule. The auditorium is cruciform, with plaster walls and wainscoting made of wide, dark-stained, vertical pine boards. Decorative elements are in the plaster ceiling. Pews face the altar in the apse.^[6]

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. February 2, 2011.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b State of Michigan (2009). "Saint John's Lutheran Church". Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "About Us". Reformed Baptist Church of Lenawee. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "St. John's Lutheran Church: Our History".
^ "Google Maps". Retrieved 4 April 2016.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Richard LaRowe; J.M. Davis (June 1982), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form: St. John's Lutheran Church

[NRIS-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. February 2, 2011.

[MCGI-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b State of Michigan (2009). "Saint John's Lutheran Church". Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2011.

[bapt-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b "About Us". Reformed Baptist Church of Lenawee. Retrieved October 6, 2017.

[SJA-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b "St. John's Lutheran Church: Our History".

[5] "Google Maps". Retrieved 4 April 2016.

[nom-6] Jump up to: ^a ^b Richard LaRowe; J.M. Davis (June 1982), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form: St. John's Lutheran Church

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show v t National Register of Historic Places in Lenawee County, Michigan
Historic districts	Clinton Downtown Historic District Dennis-State Streets Historic District Downtown Adrian Commercial Historic District Hudson Downtown Historic District John W. and Erena Alexander Rogers Keeney Farm Saint Joseph Church and Shrine Saint Michael and All Angels' Episcopal Church and Cambridge Township Cemetery Tecumseh Downtown Historic District Tecumseh Historic District
Historic properties	Adrian Engine House No. 1 Adrian Public Library Adrian Union Hall-Croswell Opera House Brookside Cemetery Civil War Memorial Clark Memorial Hall David Carpenter House Davenport House Dr. Leonard Hall House Dr. Samuel Catlin House First Presbyterian Church of Blissfield Gamaliel Thompson House George B. and Amanda Bradish Horton Farmstead George J. Kempf House Governor Charles Croswell House G. P. Sparks House Heman R. Goodrich House Irish Hills Towers Jackson Branch Bridge No. 15 John Pennington–Henry Ford House Joseph E. Hall House Lenawee County Courthouse Lorenzo and Ruth Wells Palmer House Musgrove Evans House Nathaniel S. Wheeler House Raisin Valley Friends Meetinghouse S. Walker's Hotel Saint Elizabeth's Church Saint John's Lutheran Church Saint Mary of Good Counsel Catholic Church Samuel W. Temple House Walker Tavern William Hayden House
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Lenawee County, Michigan and List of National Historic Landmarks in Michigan

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