Westminster Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis, MN
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Westminster Presbyterian Church is a
Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
located in downtown
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
,
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. Its current location is the third location in downtown in over 140 years. The building is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.


History

Westminster began as a gathering of eight people of
Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
, Irish and
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...
heritage in 1857. In 1860, the congregation built its first church, on Fourth Street between Nicollet and Hennepin Avenues in
downtown Minneapolis Central is a defined community in Minneapolis that consists of six smaller official neighborhoods around the downtown and central business core. It also includes the many old flour mills, the Mill District, and other historical and industri ...
. Because of the rapid growth of the congregation, the church soon outgrew its first location. In 1883, construction of a new, larger church began at Seventh Street and Nicollet Avenue. Twelve years after the opening of the second church site, the building was heavily damaged by a fire. This prompted yet another move when the church rebuilt to its current location at Twelfth Street and Nicollet Mall, opening its doors for services in 1897. The present church was designed as a collaboration between two prominent Minneapolis architects, Warren Howard Hayes and
Charles Sumner Sedgwick Charles Sumner SedgwickIn some sources, his name has been incorrectly presented as Charles Sedgewick (1856 – March 12, 1922) was an American architect. Personal life Sedgwick was born in 1856, in New York (state), New York. His wife, Mary D., ...
. In 1998, to coincide with the building's centennial, the congregation undertook an extensive renovation of the sanctuary. This 3.5 million dollar project restored many of the sanctuary's original design elements, updated the structure and improved lighting and sound. The newly renovated sanctuary opened for services on Sunday, December 20, 1998.


Historical landmark

In recognition of its historic and social significance, Westminster was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1998. With . In May 1999 Westminster received the 1999 Heritage Preservation Award from the
Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
and the Minnesota Chapter of the
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...
.


References


External links


Westminster Presbyterian Church Homepage
{{Authority control National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis Churches in Minneapolis Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Presbyterian churches in Minnesota Romanesque Revival church buildings in Minnesota Churches completed in 1897