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St. Paul's United Methodist Church is one of five buildings in Iowa designed by noted American architect Louis Sullivan (1856-1924), who is known as the "father of skyscrapers" and for coining the phrase "form follows function" (another architect, W.C. Jones, simplified the design after Sullivan left the project). Built in 1914, the church consists of a half circle auditorium that is attached to rectangular building, a large addition, and a six-story bell tower. The auditorium roof features a skylight with multi-colored glass. The congregation itself was founded in 1843 as St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.


St. Paul's United Methodist Church was built in 1914. It is one of only five buildings in the state designed by architect Louis Sullivan, who is known as the "father of skyscrapers."

Sky, Plant, Building, Window

The congregation's roots date back to 1840 when circuit riders began preaching to Methodists in a log house known as the Listebarger cabin. The cabin served as the meetinghouse (i.e. a church) for the congregation, which was officially established in 1843. The congregation built the first church building, a one-story brick structure known as the "Little Brick Church", in 1856. The number of members in the congregation rose to 268 during the Civil War and the church received its first full-time minister. In 1878, construction of the second church building was completed. It was a much larger brick building that featured a large corner tower and lancet windows.

The congregation purchased the land on which the present church now stands in 1909 and hired Louis Sullivan the next year to design it. The cost for his plan, which included a significant amount of exterior ornamentation, was twice than the original estimate and the congregation requested he make changes. Sullivan declined and withdrew from the project. The congregation then hired Jones whose changes—including removing much of the ornamentation—cut the budget to $100,000. These modifications, however, did not significantly alter Sullivan's overall design. The church was remodeled in 1946 and 1963, and the addition was erected in 1963. The most recent renovations were completed in 2017.

Jacobsen, James E. "St. Paul's United Methodist Church." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. June 27, 1985. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/7cd02093-08f8-4d44-bfa7-4389fd90949e.

"Our History." St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Accessed December 29, 2021. https://www.stpaulsumc.org/our-history.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_of_St._Paul%27s_United_Methodist_Church_(founded_as_Methodist_Episcopal)_taken_across_3rd_Ave_SE_in_2008..jpg