The First Congregational Church was designed in 1931 by architects John Russell Pope and Howard Dwight Smith whose 20th century interpretation of gothic design was intended to cut across miles and centuries with timeless forms. Pope also designed the Jefferson Memorial and the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.
The church building was built in memory of its former minister, the Reverend Dr. Washington Gladden for more than 1 million dollars– a large sum during the heart of the Great Depression. Gladden’s church was originally across from the Statehouse on East Broad, and Gladden was the prime force behind the national Social Gospel Movement, important to the Progressive agenda of the early 20th century. The building was dedicated on December 6, 1931. In 1963, an addition was built to the original structure, and the interior of the Gothic beauty was completely restored following a capital campaign from 1993-1998.
The church is also home to William Thompson’s Cast Concrete piece titled The Mission, The Fall, The Struggle, and the Redemption from the mid 1960s. This piece is cast into the building facing the 9th Street parking lot behind the main church.
444 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Franklin County
Please note: The Greater Columbus Arts Council (Arts Council) does not own or manage any public art. For the purposes of this database many pieces were entered by the Arts Council while we continue to search for the appropriate owner/manager of the work and other information to complete the entry. The Arts Council has tried to gather all available information about the works in this database, however, we acknowledge there may be missing or inaccurate information. If you can help us correct any inaccuracies, or provide more complete information, we would be grateful. Please use “Something missing? Please send us a note” above.
Taking images of public art works and sharing your experiences is one of the most fun reasons to engage with public art. As a community, we care deeply about the artists who have contributed the artworks we enjoy every day. Please be sure to credit artists when you share your photos. If you have an interest in using public artwork present in this database for commercial purposes, please contact Jami Goldstein at the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Taking your own images of public artwork does not release you from the responsibility of artist credit and/or compensation.
This site is produced and managed by the Greater Columbus Arts Council and supported by the Ohio Arts Council and public art collections across the state. Contributors to the databases to date include collections held by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, City of Columbus, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Dublin Arts Council, City of Upper Arlington Cultural Arts Department, City of Kettering, Downtown Mansfield Inc., Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Licking County Foundation, Ohio Arts Council’s Percent for Art program, Short North Arts District and the City of Sandusky. The database was funded in part by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council. Research and development support is provided by Designing Local, OSA Technology Partners and Columbus artist Stephanie Rond. The Columbus Makes Art campaign is a citywide, collaborative marketing effort designed to highlight the incredible talent of central Ohio artists. The Greater Columbus Arts Council is supported by the City of Columbus and the Ohio Arts Council.
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