Saline First Presbyterian Church

Saline First Presbyterian Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Michigan State Historic Site
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Location	143 E. Michigan Ave., Saline, Michigan
Coordinates	42°10′2″N 83°46′50″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1898
Built by	Conrad Schaffer & Sons
Architect	Spier & Rohns
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival
MPS	Saline MRA
NRHP reference No.	85002960[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 10, 1985
Designated MSHS	August 30, 1995[2]

Saline First Presbyterian Church is a historic church located at 143 E. Michigan Avenue in Saline, Michigan. It was added to the National Register in 1985^[1] and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1995.^[2]

History

Original frame church, 1842–1898

In 1831, soon after the opening of the Erie Canal, a group of twelve Presbyterian families from Newark, New York^[3] pulled up stakes and headed westward to Detroit.^[2] The families settled in the area around what is now Saline, and immediately began holding church services. For a decade, these services were held in private homes, schools, or other meeting places; finally, in 1842, the Presbyterian congregation constructed a frame church on the site where the present church is located. This early church served the congregation until 1898, when the current church was constructed. The congregation hired Detroit architects Frederick H. Spier and William C. Rohns to design the church, and local contractor Conrad Schaffer and Son to build it. The structure and interior furnishings cost a total of $5,981.^[2]

New porches and steps were constructed in 1954, using stones quarried from the same location as the original stones were. In the mid-1970s, the building was extensively renovated both inside and out. The sanctuary was renovated and restored in 1998, and is still used for services.^[2]

Description

The Saline Presbyterian Church is a brick Romanesque Revival structure, built with an irregular plan on a heavy stone foundation.^[2] It has a gable roof and a large square corner tower topped with spires; a smaller round tower is located at the southeast corner. The south and east sides of the building feature large stained glass windows.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "Saline Presbyterian Church". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
3. Susan Kosky (2003), Saline, Arcadia Publishing, p. 56, ISBN 9780738531915

Further reading

• First Presbyterian Church (1956), 125th anniversary: First Presbyterian Church, Saline, Michigan, 1831-1956, First Presbyterian Church
• First Presbyterian Church (Saline, Mich.); Nehemiah P. Stanton (1899), History of the First Presbyterian church society of Saline, Michigan, The Wolverine printing co.

External links

• Official website