St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

One church in Moorhead stands out among all the rest for its unique style and that is St. John the Divine Episcopal Church on 8th Street. Its unique style is known as “shingle style” and it is the only such building in the area. Built with a cruciform, that is, the shape of a cross, layout, the church features a tower and low dormer windows. It was the work of renowned architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed the Woolworth Building in Manhattan, which was once the tallest building in the world, as well as several state capitol buildings, including one for the capitol of Minnesota in St. Paul. St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, built in 1898, is similar to another in Minnesota, the Virginia Street Church, built in 1886. According to the inventory form on file at the National Register of Historic Places, the building of the church marked a second boom for Moorhead, where it was coming out of a period of stagnation. It favors early English elements of an arched timber entry, as well as making use of polygonal spires and, of course, its wooden shingles.

Sources:

1. Heilbrun, Margaret. Inventing the Skyline: The Architecture of Cass Gilbert. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2000.
2. United States Department of Interior, National Park Service. "Minnesota Historical Properties Inventory Form-St. John the Divine Episcopal Church." 1980. Retrieved from: http://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/GetAsset?assetID=b206428c-a573-4e43-b94e-62809c9a80e5

Photo Credit:

1. Harvey, Thomas. St. John the Divine Episcopal Church. August 1979. Retrieved from: http://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/GetAsset?assetID=979a6598-e4b4-40d4-9e80-d14ed532248b