St. Thomas Episcopal Church is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the

Episcopal Diocese of Iowa The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which covers all of Iowa. It is in Province VI. Its offices are in Des Moines, and it has two cathedrals: the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in ...

. The church is located in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

, United States. The church building was listed on 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 v ...

in 1984.

History

The first Episcopal Church service in Sioux City was conducted by a missionary from

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

in 1857. St. Thomas Church was established two years later. A small frame church was built for the congregation on the corner of Nebraska and 7th Streets in 1860 for $1,550. By 1881 it became necessary to add onto the church, and a

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

was built at the same time. A

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

was purchased for the same price that the original church was built. The

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

for the present church was laid in 1891. The church was designed in the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

style by local architect James W. Martin. John M. Poorbaugh was the contractor. It is considered an excellent example of the

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...

mode. with The building was completed in 1892 and cost about $80,000 to build. The

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows from the old church were removed before the building was torn down. They were donated in 1893 to Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church in

Mapleton, Iowa Mapleton is a city in Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,165 at the time of the 2020 census. History Mapleton was platted in 1857 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named from its location near the Maple R ...

and were placed in their new church built in 1896. A new pipe organ was purchased in 1909 and the Weare Chapel was added at the same time. In 1922 a fire from an overheated furnace caused extensive damage to the church. The building had to be rebuilt and a new organ was purchased. The church was redecorated again in 1951. In the early 1960s, the Parish House was built and the parish acquired a new rectory. Weare Chapel was restored in 1980 under the direction of Howard Tervillian, who was Architect in Residence for the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the cap ...

, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Another renovation of the church occurred in 1982.

Architecture

The structure is generally rectangular in plan. It is influenced by a later phase of

Henry Hobson Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

's design evolution in its more simplified cubic form. Its exterior is clad in rose-colored

Sioux Quartzite The Sioux Quartzite is a Proterozoic quartzite that is found in the region around the intersection of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa, and correlates with other rock units throughout the upper midwestern and southwestern United States. It was ...

was laid using in a broken

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

technique. The broad

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

cruciform roof-plan gives the building a monumental feel. The four-story

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

style corner tower rises to a height of . The two-story Weare Chapel projects slightly from the main building on its northeast corner. The interior features a steeply pitched hammer beam birch ceiling,

wainscoting Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to make roo ...

, and a large Gothic arch at the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

opening. The interior is a restored version of its original after the 1922 fire.

References

External links

St. Thomas’ Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Thomas Episcopal Church (Sioux City, Iowa) Churches in Sioux City, Iowa Episcopal church buildings in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Sioux City, Iowa Romanesque Revival church buildings in Iowa Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Religious organizations established in 1859 1859 establishments in Iowa