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Restoration of modernist tower in Columbus finished

By Bente Bouthier

Posted February 16, 2024

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Finnish Architect Eliel Saarinen’s design is one of the first Modernist religious designs in the United States. (WTIU News, Bente Bouthier)

Restoration of the 165-foot modernist brick tower in downtown Columbus is now complete.

About as tall of the Rome Colosseum or Niagara Falls, the 82-year-old structure is connected to one of the first modernist churches in America.

Initial repairs were done in 2019 but a much larger restoration was needed because of extensive cracking.

bricks — Bricks on the First Christain Church Tower had cracking, which was noted during an inspection in 2014. (Courtesy of Arsee Engineers Photos)

Louis Joyner's firm in Columbus led the rennovation efforts. He said they replaced more than 50 feet of brick on the East and West faces of the tower, along with the veneer on the North and South bases.

"There really are very few equivalent buildings to this in the country," he said. "And so there's no real benchmark. This building is unusual in that it's all brick. It's incredibly tall."

Joyner said all buildings need maintenance. But his firm picked materials like limestone for repairs because of their durability. The tower's restoration cost more than $2 million, which Joyner said makes sense, considering it’s one of the tallest masonry buildings in the US. The entire project cost more than $3 million.

Located just a couple blocks from the tower, Joyner feels lucky to have worked on the project.

"You're kind of helping care for the built environment of the town," he said." In Columbus, it's an unusual situation that we have all these modern buildings that are significant. We've been fortunate to be able to contribute to their preservation and modifications that keep them moving forward into the 21st century.”

The final touches for the project included staining brick and paving areas around the church.

The project started in 2022 and was completed December 2023.

More than a third of the restoration was funded by fundraising and grants.

Steve Yeaton, First Christain Church's senior minister, said the community's investment in the tower feels significant while other parts of society feel divided. In his remarks to celebrate the project's completion, he said anyone could appreciate the purppose of preserving the landmark.

"You don’t have to be a conservative or a liberal – a believer or a non-believer – young or old – a native of Columbus or of some other part of the world to appreciate – to enjoy – to be inspired by the beauty and majesty of this tower and what it represents as an anchor for what Columbus is best known for: bold and innovative architecture."