Christ Church Cathedral (St. Louis, Missouri)

Christ Church Cathedral is the Episcopal cathedral for the Diocese of Missouri. It is located at 1210 Locust Street in St. Louis, Missouri. The dean of the cathedral is the Very Reverend Kathie Adams-Shepherd. Adams-Shepherd is also the first female dean of this cathedral. Built during 1859–67, it is one of the few well-preserved surviving works of Leopold Eidlitz, a leading mid-19th-century American architect, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994 for its architecture.

Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral (St. Louis, Missouri) is located in St. Louis
Christ Church Cathedral (St. Louis, Missouri)
Christ Church Cathedral (St. Louis, Missouri) is located in Missouri
Christ Church Cathedral (St. Louis, Missouri)
Christ Church Cathedral (St. Louis, Missouri) is located in the United States
Christ Church Cathedral (St. Louis, Missouri)
Location1210 Locust Street
St. Louis, Missouri
Coordinates38°37′49″N 90°11′55″W
Built1859
ArchitectLeopold Eidlitz; Legg, Jerome B.
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival, Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.90000345
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 7, 1990[1]
Designated NHLOctober 12, 1994[2]

History and description

The cathedral was built between 1859 and 1867, and designed by architect Leopold Eidlitz. The Gothic Revival structure was an expression of the city's sense of its significance as the United States expanded westwards. It was one of the earliest churches influenced by the revival within the Episcopal Church of early Christian practices and styles, which later was influenced by the Oxford Movement originating in England. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.[2]

The cathedral is located in what is now downtown St. Louis, at the southeast corner of Thirteenth and Locust streets. The main body of the church was built of Illinois sandstone, and its roof is of purple and green slate. It is basically a cruciform structure, with a tower projecting from the northern facade at the northwest corner. The base of the tower houses a baptistry, with a font of Italian marble.[3]

A smaller sandstone chapel dates to 1893–95. From 1910 to 1912, a tower and porch were added of Indiana limestone.[3] The chime of three steel bells, dedicated in 1912, were cast by the Bochumer Verein Foundry in 1904.[4] The bourdon bell, weighing 5,732 pounds, is the largest bell in Missouri.[5] The cathedral originally housed an organ from the Roosevelt Organ Company; in 1926 the Skinner Organ Company installed a new organ.[6]

Montana silver magnate Charles D. McLure, a St. Louis native, was revealed to be the anonymous donor of $50,000 toward constructing the cathedral (approximately $6.5 million today).[7]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Christ Church Cathedral". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  3. Hamilton, Esley, Mrs.; Pitts, Carolyn (March 1989). "National Historic Landmark Nomination". National Park Service. Retrieved April 7, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. "St. Louis church bells keep pace with modern times". STLPR. April 14, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  5. "History". Christ Church Cathedral. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  6. "St. Louis Cathedral Gives Skinner Order for a Large Four-Manual" (PDF). The Diapason. 17 (9): 1. August 1, 1926.
  7. An Ambassador of Christ: William Schuyler
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