Built 1910 Opened 1910 Architecture firm Purcell & Elmslie | NRHP Reference # 78001543 Added to NRHP 28 November 1978 | |
Similar Edna S Purcell House, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Lake Hiawatha, Rock the Garden, Luther Seminary | ||
Stewart Memorial Presbyterian Church, now Redeemer Missionary Baptist Church, is a Prairie School church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the Lyndale neighborhood. The Prairie School architecture was uncommon for use in churches. This church, which has a flat roof and broad eaves, but lacks a bell tower and other traditional church features, was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois. It was designed by the firm of Purcell & Feick before George Grant Elmslie became a partner of the firm. The congregation was an offshoot of First Presbyterian Church and was named after the Reverend David Stewart.
The main portion of the church is organized around a cube-shaped auditorium with light provided by a wall of eastward-facing green-tinted windows. It has a narrower section with a deep balcony that extends to the south. Decoration is relatively modest, consisting mainly of wood strips in geometric patterns. The exterior is faced in brick and stucco. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 1988, Redeemer Missionary Baptist Church bought the building and raised over $2 million for restoration and renovation.