First Christian celebrating restoration of church tower Sunday

First Christian Church in Columbus will be hosting an event Sunday afternoon celebrating the work to refurbish the church tower.

The church and tower were designed by architect Eliel Saarinen in 1942 and it is recognized as one of the first Modernist church designs in the United States.

The 165-foot tall tower has been repaired several times over the years, including the last major effort in 1976. The current effort came after a 2019 assessment of the condition found significant cracking, delaminating of the veneer, rust and other problems. The repairs were a $3.2 million project including community donations, and grants from the National Parks Service, the National Fund for Sacred Places and the Jeffris Family Foundation.

Sunday’s event will be a thank you celebration to those who made the plan a reality.

Other famous towers will also be celebrated such as the Eiffel Tower, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, the London Bridge Tower, and Rapunzel’s tower from the movie ‘Tangled.’ Instrumentalists and soloists from Columbus will join with the church’s iconic organ to present a selection including music from those countries and the film.

Towering Achievement: Community Celebration will be at 5 p.m. at the church on Fifth Street downtown.

The event is open to the community and you are invited. It will be free, but but registration is requested. You can find a link to register here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1038061587210838

First Christian Church photo courtesy of Landmark Columbus Foundation.