The First Congregational Church of Sterling is a historic church in Sterling,

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. The church was built in 1897 and 1898 and is an example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1995.

History

On May 15, 1896 it was announced that the Congregationalists in Sterling were set to construct a new church. Later that year, on July 1, it was reported in the local ''Sterling Gazette'' that an architect's design had been selected and that the church would cost a total of

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15,000. In the end the building cost US$25,000 to erect. Construction was completed between 1897–98. Whaley, Martha.
First Congregational Church of Sterling
( PDF), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, July 7, 1995, ''

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'', accessed May 21, 2008.

Architecture

The building is constructed of red Portage

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

and is located in the heart of downtown Sterling. The church's square

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

rises into the air and dominates the structure. The building also features some of the most elaborate stained glass

fenestration Fenestration may refer to: * Fenestration (architecture), the design, construction, or presence of openings in a building * Used in relation to fenestra in anatomy, medicine and biology * Fenestration, holes in the rudder A rudder is a primar ...

in Sterling. In fact, it has been reported that locals sometimes knew the building only as "the church with the windows". The auditorium is semi-circular and octagonal in shape. The First Congregational Church of Sterling was designed by architect Wesley Arnold in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and built by builder P.J. Van Horne. The building has several elements of the style including: heavy sandstone foundation which contrasts with smooth and rough faced brick, wide round arches over rows of windows, and the buildings two towers. The building is laid out in what was known as the "

Akron Plan The Akron Plan was a scheme for the design of churches and other religious buildings that housed Sunday schools. It was characterized by a set of wedge-shaped classrooms that radiated from the direction of a central superintendent's platform. D ...

". The Akron Plan for church buildings was popularized by architectural pattern books and featured a semi-circular

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...

surrounded by segmented Sunday school classrooms on one or two floors.

Historic significance

The First Congregational Church is significant for its architecture as a local example of a Richardsonian Romanesque religious building. It is the only church of its kind in all of Whiteside County. The church is also locally significant as a religious institution. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places November 7, 1995.

References

External links

United Church of Christ list for First Congregational Church of SterlingFirst Congregational Church of Sterling
Property Information Report, ''

'', accessed May 21, 2008. {{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Whiteside County, Illinois Sterling, Illinois Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois United Church of Christ churches in Illinois Romanesque Revival church buildings in Illinois Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Illinois Buildings and structures in Whiteside County, Illinois Akron Plan church buildings