St. John's Lutheran Church, Knoxville

St. John's Lutheran Church, Knoxville

Located in Knoxville, the St. John's Lutheran Church is a noteworthy religious structure of historic value. The church is acknowledged as a contributing property in the Emory Place Historic District and is also listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places.

Established in 1888, the St. John's congregation was the first English-language Lutheran group in Knoxville. The founding members were of German descent and preferred English over German, which was used in other local Lutheran churches. In the beginning, the group congregated for worship in the First German Evangelical Lutheran Church located in downtown Knoxville. Later in 1889, they began using the former Broad Street Methodist Episcopal Church building, located on the corner of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, for worship. The congregation was incorporated in 1890, affiliated with the United Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the South, and purchased the former Broad Street Methodist property.

In 1910, church member Martha Henson donated land one block north of the current church building, which led to the development of the current church building. Construction began in August 1911 after acquiring adjoining land. The Gothic Revival style building was designed by architect R. F. Graf and features Gothic elements such as arches at windows and doorways, exterior buttresses, and tracery.

The church interior boasts quarter-sawn oak and the sanctuary is vaulted by Hammerbeam trusses that rise to almost 40 feet (12 m). The sanctuary is surrounded by 61 stained glass windows, including a series of nine pictorial windows that depict scenes from the Bible in chronological sequence. Von Gerichten Art Glass of Cincinnati designed the windows and assembled them on-site during building construction. The new church was completed and dedicated in 1912.

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St. John's Lutheran Church on Map

Sight Name: St. John's Lutheran Church
Sight Location: Knoxville, USA (See walking tours in Knoxville)
Sight Type: Religious

Walking Tours in Knoxville, Tennessee

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