The Old Church, originally known as Calvary Presbyterian Church, is a

Carpenter Gothic Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massin ...

church located in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, United States, that is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Built in 1882, it was designed by Portland architect Warren Heywood Williams.Mershon, Helen (September 6, 1982). "Venerable Old Church to celebrate centenary: 'Carpenter Gothic' edifice tribute to Victorians". ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'', p. D1. The interior includes

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows made by Portland's

Povey Brothers Studio Povey Brothers Studio, also known as Povey Brothers Art Glass Works or Povey Bros. Glass Co., was an American producer of stained glass windows based in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon. The studio was active from 1888 to 1928. As the largest a ...

History

The building's use as the Calvary Presbyterian Church ceased in 1948, when it was sold to the Evangel Baptist Church. Another Baptist congregation, First Southern Baptist (later becoming Metropolitan Baptist) purchased the building in 1951."Old Church Purchased As 'A Gathering Place'" (April 2, 1969). ''

'', p. 16. It became unused in 1965 and was put up for sale, but remained unsold for an extended period, and its demolition was planned. In 1967, the non-profit group Old Church was formed with the intent of preserving the building. After a one-year fundraising campaign the group purchased the building from Metropolitan Baptist Church on April 1, 1969, for $95,000. At its next meeting, Old Church Inc. changed its name to the Old Church Society. Initial efforts to save and preserve the building were led by Lannie Hurst, an actress and performer. ''

The Oregon Journal ''The Oregon Journal'' was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The ''Journal'' was founded in Portland by C. S. "Sam" Jackson, publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's ''East Oregonian'' newspaper, after a group of Portla ...

'' chose Hurst as one of 10 "Women of Accomplishment" in 1969, explaining that "Few fundraising campaigns of any sort ever captured the imagination and support of Portlanders as completely as did the drive to save The Old Church..." The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, under its original name of Calvary Presbyterian Church. The Old Church is a non-profit that focuses on restoring and preserving the structure and providing artistic and cultural programming. Restoration work has included major interior and exterior overhauls that have aimed to preserve the historic character of the building while adding modern conveniences to keep the space relevant and useful. During the restoration, Jerry Bosco and Ben Milligan, prominent collectors of historic artifacts, donated the original

porte-cochère A porte-cochère (; ; ; ) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which originally a ...

to The Old Church. Most recently The Old Church installed a new stage, bar, and marquee and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems. Since 1969, The Old Church has hosted free weekly lunch-time concerts on Wednesdays and it hosts concerts by touring and local artists. The space is also used for weddings and other events.

References

External links

The Old Church
(official website)
Historic images of the Old Church
from the University of Oregon digital archives {{Portal bar, Architecture, National Register of Historic Places, Oregon 1882 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Southwest Portland, Oregon Carpenter Gothic church buildings in Oregon Churches completed in 1882 Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon Former Presbyterian churches in the United States Portland Historic Landmarks Presbyterian churches in Oregon

History

See also

References

External links