Central Lutheran Church of Portland

(Photo: Shoshana Jones)

Name: Central Lutheran Church of Portland
Address: 1820 NE 21st Ave
City: Portland
Year of Construction: 1950
Architect: Pietro Belluschi
Original Use: Religious (church)
Status: In Use / Threatened
National Register of Historic Places: Not Listed / Non-Contributing Resource in Irvington Historic District
Description:

After World War II, many American cities experienced population growth. Portland in particular saw its population increase from 501,000 to 661,000 between 1940 1944. Post war years were not only bringing people into cities, but also to religious and spiritual practices. Americans were looking for relief and many of them found it in churches, which provided them a sense of community and rootedness. Churches began to launch new building programs, as they were experiencing financial stability and needed to accommodate modern needs. In this context, the Central Lutheran Church of Portland commissioned Pietro Belluschi to design its new building in 1945.

Belluschi was a well-known architect in the Northwest region due to connections he made and the good reputation he earned at A. E. Doyle team, the architecture firm he eventually bought. He also was known for his affinity for modern architecture, and he favored simple, unornamented forms. For the Central Lutheran Church, however, Belluschi rejected the idea of designing a cold, modern structure for the Lutheran congregation, as he believed that modern forms did not satisfy spiritual needs. At the same time, he refused to use the typical neo-Gothic or neo-Classic style, which was the common approach in early 20th century American churches. Portland was changing, the American society was changing. He wanted to design a church according to its time.

The challenge was to design a contemporary religious building in a residential neighborhood composed mostly of early 20th century architecture. Located in Northeast Portland, Irvington has been characterized since its beginning by its visual cohesion, resulting from the use of either natural materials -such as horizontal clapboard siding, shingles, and shakes- or masonry, according to the architectural style of each building. To develop a successful solution, Belluschi was aware of the importance of having an appropriate scale according to the building’s surroundings. He was also convinced that listening carefully to the members of the congregation was essential. And so he did.

Belluschi’s design included a fellowship hall, administrative offices, and Sunday school areas. This resulted in a church layout consisting of a longitudinal nave with a semicircular apse facing north, followed by a raised chancel. The nave extends towards the south and is framed by a series of 44-foot-wide laminated arches embedded in the walls. At the southern end, the fellowship hall serves as the base from which an open, single, 40-foot-tall timberwork tower emerges. The administrative and educational areas are located on the east side of the property, adjacent to the nave and the parish hall. They create a discrete two-story rectangular structure made of wooden panels, materially and visually consistent with the main building.

The almost traditional church plan is interrupted by the access porch, which it is located on the west end of the property —instead of the southern end— thus breaking the symmetry of the layout. This is by far one of the principal elements that provide the building its unique character. Echoing Japanese torii gates, the access porch consists of a plain, canopied structure made of wood. Similar to the torii, this element marks -in a symbolic way, a transition between the mundane and the sacred. In his selection of building materials, Belluschi reveals the influence of Scandinavian modern architecture in his work and his intention to blend the church into the neighborhood: the building is enclosed mostly by a brickwork wall combined with stained-wood batten panels. The western side features a stained-glass panel that allows natural light to pass through the nave, where natural illumination is complemented by pendant lights distributed throughout the space. Vertical glazed windows adorn both sides of the chancel, creating a halo of light around the altar.

The Central Lutheran Church of Portland was completed in 1951. According to Meredith Clausen, Belluschi was able to make his own modern interpretation despite the number of architectural concepts influencing the design of this church. Central Lutheran impacted not only Belluschi’s later works, but also the evolution of modern churches in America. Belluschi’s use of light, space and regional materials to enhance the spiritual and religious experience led the designation of the building as a historic site by the City of Portland in 1976. Despite its modernist aesthetics, the building —along with other infill developments occurred in Irvington between 1930 and 1950 —contributes to the architectural narrative of the district, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

Several renovations have been made to the church throughout the years. In the mid-1970s, the narthex was remodeled. In 1999, original doors were replaced with glass panel doors and an emergency door was added to the south side access to meet fire and life safety codes. In 2005, the tower was removed due to rot problems in joints that had become a safety hazard for members and residents. Over four years, church members and the entire Irvington community joined efforts to raise the more than $200.00 required to rebuild the tower. Following Belluschi’s original blueprint —except for few changes made to meet current building codes—, the tower was replaced in 2009.

References

Abbott, Carl. 2011. Portland in three centuries: the place and the people. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press.

Central Lutheran Church. Accessed April 8, 2020. https://www.centralportland.org/historic-building.

Clausen, Meredith L., and Pietro Belluschi. 1992. Spiritual space: the religious architecture of Pietro Belluschi. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

Hallman Jr., Tom. “Central Lutheran has its landmark steeple back.” The Oregonian / OregonLive, October 2009. https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2009/10/central_lutheran_has_its_landm.html.

“National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (Irvington Historic District).” Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. Oregon Historic Sites Database. Accessed April 11, 2020. http://heritagedata.prd.state.or.us/historic/.

Nicoll, G. Douglas. “The Spiritual Shelters of Pietro Belluschi.” Oregon Historical Quarterly 102, no. 3 (2001): 316-35. Accessed March 18, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/20615159.

“Preliminary National Register Eligibility Evaluation Form (Central Lutheran Church).” Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. Oregon Historic Sites Database. Accessed April 11, 2020. http://heritagedata.prd.state.or.us/historic/