Grace Lutheran Church

Grace Lutheran Church, 1967. [photo courtesy the City of Cleveland Heights]

Perhaps best known by passers-by for the shimmering glow of its ornate golden window tracery set in warm, earth-toned brick, the former Grace Lutheran Church has meticulously matching wings set slightly above Cedar Road.

In some ways this mainly brick church structure, in the English Gothic style, was designed as a smaller and less complex version of John W.C. Corbusier’s other Cleveland Heights church—the stone Church of the Saviour. Corbusier was a specialist in church design, as well as a graduate of E'ole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

The former sanctuary’s interior is notable for its fine woodcarving and stained glass. The former Fellowship Hall, designed by Walter J. Wefel Jr., is an excellent example of an addition that blends with the original building.

The congregation moved to the Heights in 1923, first holding services at the Fairfax School. The beautiful building was designated a Cleveland Heights Landmark in 1977.

The congregation sold the church building in February 2016 to a private business owner. While the building is currently being renovated, important architectural features—interior and exterior—are remaining intact.

Ken Goldberg

The author, Ken Goldberg, is a member of the Cleveland Heights Landmark Commission, which preserves and protects buildings, works of art and other objects of historical or architectural value to the community. The seven members are appointed to three-year terms by City Council.

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Volume 9, Issue 9, Posted 11:23 AM, 09.01.2016