Kirk in the Hills

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

(1958) is a church located in Bloomfield Township, Michigan.

Overview

Kirk in the Hills is situated on a 40-acre setting on Island Lake. It is of

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

design and is patterned after the famous

Melrose Abbey St Mary's Abbey, Melrose is a partly ruined monastery of the Cistercian order in Melrose, Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks at the request of King David I of Scotland and was the chief house of ...

in Scotland that was built in the 13th century. The sanctuary is situated at the east end of Cedarholm, which was the home of Colonel Edwin S. George, whose gift of his home and estate in 1947 made the Kirk possible. As early as 1933 he saw the need for a church in this area and established the George Foundation for that purpose. The congregation was organized by the Presbytery of Detroit in 1947, and the first services were held that year in Cedarholm Chapel. The cornerstone for the church was laid in 1951, the same year Colonel George died. His remains are entombed under the Narthex of the Kirk's sanctuary. The architectural firm of George D. Mason completed the church based on preliminary designs by

Wirt Rowland Wirt Clinton Rowland (December 1, 1878 – November 30, 1946) was an American architect best known for his work in Detroit, Michigan. Biography Rowland was born December 1, 1878, in Clinton, Michigan, to Clinton Charles and Melissa Ruth Ro ...

. Rowland, who worked for Mason at the beginning of his career, died in 1946 during the design process. Services were held in the Undercroft beginning in 1952 and continued during the construction of the church until a disastrous fire destroyed most of the roof. The Church held its first services in the sanctuary on November 23, 1958. Kirk in the Hills is modeled after

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Set on of beautifully landscaped lakeside grounds, Kirk in the Hills constitutes a fine example of

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

in the United States. ''Kirk'' is the Scottish word for ''Church''.

Tower and Carillon

The church includes the ''Tower of the Apostles''. The tower, which houses the world's largest

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

in the number of bells contained, was installed in 1960. The Bells were donated by the Roy A. Fruehauf family and the five largest bells are named after the members of the Fruehauf Family: Roy, Ruth, Royce, Randall, and Ruth Ann. Previously Mr. Fruehauf had donated the Organ to the Church after the fire. Mr. Fruehauf was instrumental in the building of the church and made a generous donation just before his death in 1965. The 77-bells range from a 6'10" 6-

short ton The short ton (symbol tn) is a measurement unit equal to . It is commonly used in the United States, where it is known simply as a ton, although the term is ambiguous, the single word being variously used for short, long, and metric ton. The vari ...

bourdon to the smallest at 6" 14- pounds.

Sculpture

The church contains sculpture by some of the leading

architectural sculptors Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

of the day,

Lee Lawrie Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 – January 23, 1963) was an American architectural sculptor and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II. Over his long career of more than 300 commissions Lawrie's style evolved through ...

Corrado Parducci Corrado Giuseppe Parducci (March 10, 1900 – November 22, 1981) was an Italian-American architectural sculptor who was a celebrated artist for his numerous early-20th century works. Early life and education Parducci was born in Buti, Italy, a ...

, and John Angel and Italian stone carver Harry Liva of Ingalls Stone Company in Bedford, IN, who worked in Indiana Oolitic limestone. The interior also contains ceramic tile by

Pewabic Pottery Pewabic Pottery is a ceramic studio and school in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1903, the studio is known for its iridescent glazes, some of which grace notable buildings such as the Shedd Aquarium and Basilica of the National Shrine of the Imma ...

. The gardens contain sculpture by

Marshall Fredericks Marshall Maynard Fredericks (January 31, 1908 – April 4, 1998) was an American sculptor known for such works as ''Fountain of Eternal Life'', ''The Spirit of Detroit'', ''Man and the Expanding Universe Fountain'', and many others. Early life a ...

Sculpture gallery

Image:KitHfascade.jpg, South Façade Image:KitHBabyJesusjpg.jpg, Façade detail Image:KitHRowland.jpg, Architect

Wirt C. Rowland Wirt Clinton Rowland (December 1, 1878 – November 30, 1946) was an American architect best known for his work in Detroit, Michigan. Biography Rowland was born December 1, 1878, in Clinton, Michigan, to Clinton Charles and Melissa Ruth Ro ...

Image:KitHgargoyle.jpg,

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...

Image:KitHIAmThe Light.jpg,

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

Image:KitHStPaul.jpg,

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Image:KitHColGeorge.jpg, Edwin George with model of the Kirk

Notes

References

*Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, ''Architectural Sculpture of America'', unpublished manuscript * *

External links

The official Kirk In The Hills Presbyterian Church Website

The Fruehauf Trailer Historical Society
{{coord, 42.5814, N, 83.2947, W, type:landmark, display=title Bell towers in the United States Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Buildings with sculpture by Corrado Parducci Carillons Churches in Oakland County, Michigan Presbyterian churches in Michigan Towers completed in 1960 Towers in Michigan