First English Lutheran Church
| First English Lutheran Church | |
|---|---|
| |
| Site Information | |
| Address | 823 W Lanvale St |
| Geo-reference | 39°17′52″N 76°38′01″W / 39.2979°N 76.63357°W |
| Building Data | |
| Building Type | Church |
| Design | |
| Architect | Frank E. Davis |
| Construction | |
| Completed | 1875 |
The First English Lutheran congregation’s previous church, located on Lexington Street between Park and Howard, was destroyed in a fire in 1873. Suffering this loss, they decided to build a new church at 823 Lanvale Street. They hired architect Frank E. Davis to design it. The church was to be 60 feet by 110 feet, with a 186-foot tower. It was to be constructed out of Maryland marble, with the distinction of being the only marble church within the Lutheran denomination in the United States at the time. In 1875, just before the church was finished, a strong wind sent the wooden steeple (not yet clad in slate), as well as its scaffolding, crashing onto the roof, sending debris in all directions. The wind caused extensive damage throughout the city, but the church did not sustain much. The total cost for the church, furniture, and parsonage was $102,000, leaving the congregation with a mortgage of $23,000. They were a prosperous group. As they enjoyed their new house of worship, they paid their mortgage by 1906, installing fifteen stained glass windows in 1907. In 1925, the congregation moved further north to the corner of Charles and 39th Streets. They sold their church and parsonage to the Shiloh Baptist Church, and at some recent point not yet determined, the church became the home of the New Antioch Apostolic Church, a nondenominational church that was founded in 2006.
