Alois Lang (1872–1954) was a Master Woodcarver at the

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Company, and one of the artists responsible for bringing the medieval art of ecclesiastical carving to life in the United States. Lang was born in

Oberammergau Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The small town on the Ammer River is known for its woodcarvers and woodcarvings, for its NATO School, and around the world for its 380-year tradition of ...

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, a town long known for its excellence in wood carving. He was apprenticed to his cousin Andreas Lang around the age of 14, spent one year's study with the great wood sculptor Fortunato Galli in Florence, Italy, and moved to the United States in 1890 at the age of 19. Lang first found work in Boston carving elaborate mantelpieces for

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families.

In 1903, he moved westward and joined the American Seating Company of

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, moving with the firm to

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

in 1927. Lang became well known as a prominent ecclesiastical wood-carver. An article in a 1946 newsletter states that “recently the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters presented him with a special award for his contribution to art in Michigan.” His carvings can be found in numerous buildings, mostly churches, throughout the United States, including: *Peachtree Christian Church, Atlanta, Georgia *

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, Chicago, Illinois *Christ Church Cathedral, Springfield, Massachusetts (reredos, narthex portal and screen) *Christ Church, Cranbrook,

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*Covenant Lutheran Church, Stoughton, Wisconsin (hand-carved altar with illustration patterned after Leonardo DaVinci's painting, "

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", originally installed in Central Lutheran Church, Stoughton, Wisconsin) *Emmanuel Episcopal Church, La Grange, Illinois (Last Supper, reredos originally installed in Christchurch, Chicago, Illinois) *

National Shrine of the Little Flower The National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica Catholic Church is a Catholic church in Royal Oak, Michigan. A designated national shrine, the church building is well-known for its execution in the lavish zig-zag Art Deco style. The structure ...

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*St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Grand Rapids Michigan * Christ Church, Boston, Massachusetts *

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* Church of the Incarnation,

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*Saint Paul's Episcopal Church,

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*Christ Episcopal Church,

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*First (Park) Congregational Church,

*The Emmanuel Lutheran Church,

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*Wicker Park Lutheran Church,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois *

Grosse Pointe Memorial Church The Grosse Pointe Memorial Church (GPMC) is a church located at 16 Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, USA. it is a member of the Presbyterian Church, USA (PCUSA). It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1990 and listed ...

, Grosse Pointe, Michigan * Christ Episcopal Cathedral,

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Hope Church
(Reformed Church in America),

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*Zion Evangelical United Church of Christ (Indianapolis, Indiana) *St. Marcus Evangelical & Reformed (United Church of Christ) (St. Louis, Missouri) * St. John's Episcopal Church,

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*Central United Methodist Church, Detroit, Michigan. (Hughes 1967, www.centralumchurch.org) *High Street United Methodist Church (Springfield, Ohio) *St. Mark's Episcopal Pro-Cathedral (Hastings, Nebraska) *Union Avenue Christian Church (St. Louis, MO)

Sources

*Hendry, Fay, L., Balthazar Korab, photographs, "Outdoor Sculpture of Kalamazoo", iota press, Okemos, Michigan 1980 *Hughes, D. Dale. "Conscience of A City: The History of Central Methodist Church", Detroit, MI 1967. *McMechan, Jervis Bell, "Christ Church Cranbrook: 1928 – 1978", Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 1979 *American Seater newsletter, March 19, 1946 *Ohnsman, Stephen, Pastor of Calvary UCC, 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Alois American woodcarvers 1872 births 1954 deaths German emigrants to the United States People from Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district)