If you’ve happened upon First Lutheran Church on Race Street any time in the past two years, there’s a chance you never saw the building itself — it’s been hidden behind scaffolding since September 2016, when it was set up to protect passersby from falling pieces of red limestone that had started to break off from the façade.
The tower of scaffolding only rose higher as renovations began. The historic Over-the-Rhine church, dedicated on May 12, 1895, was far from its glory days. First, there was the threat of the church literally crumbling onto unsuspecting pedestrians below. Half of the limestone would need to be replaced and sanded to match the original stone. The south entrance facing Washington Park would need repairs, too, including new stone lettering above the entryway and a fresh stain on the doors. Plans were made to restore the 1948 lighted sign. Rotted woodwork needed to be replaced, and the flat roofs needed either to be patched or replaced completely. The main stained glass window would be shipped to Minnesota for repairs and cleaning.
This week, the restorations were finally completed. The folks at First Lutheran didn’t want to change anything about their 121-year-old church, so everything is improved, just not necessarily new. “Just as Music Hall had many details brought back to life from old pictures, so too did our facade come back to life,” says Pastor Brian Ferguson.
The exterior may look picture-perfect, but there’s still work to do inside. The 2,000-square-foot gallery on the second level will be restored in full, adding 200 balcony seats and making room for the area to serve as an event space. Seven more stained glass windows have been sent to Iowa for repairs, and there are future plans in the works to add a street-level welcome center and an accessible entrance with an elevator. For the First Lutheran Church, the restorations mean more than just aesthetics — it’s a sign that they’re still a working part of the community. “A great deal of our restoration work is being driven by our desire to continue to be a vibrant faith community in the urban core of Cincinnati,” Ferguson says. “We have found that offering space to nonprofit and volunteer arts groups is greatly appreciated and valued.”
The church welcomes the community to join in celebrating the restoration with a free picnic on June 10. The event will take place from noon-1 p.m. on the south end of Washington park with entertainment by the Queen City Concert Band Brass Sextet, led by Terry Merdert. Come hungry, the event will be catered by Venice on Vine. Following the celebratory lunch, they will hold a brief program which will provide information about the transformation of their church.
First Lutheran Church will then open its doors to the public for the community to check out newly-completed renovations for themselves from 1:20-3 p.m.
First Lutheran Church, 1208 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, firstlutherancincy.org
