English Lutheran Church1040 Professional Office Buildingby KaLisa Moore |
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Stained glass windows, Sunday school, Sunday
services, baptism, communion, and people in history are all associated
with the English Lutheran Church in Lawrence, Kansas. How would you feel
if a church your family and its ancestors attended was suddenly going
to be demolished to build a parking lot? That is what was going to happen
to this historic church at 1040 New Hampshire in the year 1990. In 1870 the English Lutheran Church was built of limestone. The church was one of many ethnic churches built in the area east of Massachusetts Street. It was a place where immigrants went. This church was different from most of the other ethnic churches because the English was spoken. The immigrants that went to the English Lutheran were mostly from Europe. |
| The 1040 Professional Office Building, built in 1870 as the English Lutheran Church faces west on the street of New Hampshire in Lawrence, Kansas. | |
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The English Lutheran Church later moved to a
different building ,and became know as Trinity Lutheran Church. The building
was then called the Church of God. From 1870 to the present there have been numerous repairs on this building. In 1940 the building caught on fire. The stone walls in the building were still standing. The roof was a complete loss but the floor remained intact. |
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The stained glass window on the south side gives this law office a sense of its historical past. |
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From April 20 to August 28, 1990 there was a struggle to keep the church from being demolished. It was said the church was a public safety hazard. The bell tower and the stone wall were supposed to have fallen. Immediately fences were put around the church to keep people away from the building in case it would fall (although it did not.) |
| Walking through the door of this old church you would never expect to see such appealing modern architecture | |
| On December 2, 1991 Ashlar L.C. purchased the church. On October 15, 1993 the construction of the rehabilitated building was completed. On November 6, 1993 Governor Joan Finny and others attended the grand opening of the rehabilitation of the new law office (It is now known as the "1040 Professional Office Building".) . |  |
| This simple but obvious sign is visible on the west side of the building from New Hampshire Street. | |
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Credits: 1. Craig Patterson & Associates. Historical Timeline.1991 2. Cathy Ambler. An Early Stone Church, English Lutheran Church of Lawrence Kansas.1990 3. Ashlar Court Cases, City of Lawrence Kansas. |
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This is a Photo 2 project at West Junior High School,
Lawrence, Kansas. © KaLisa Moore 2002. Historic Places / Student Projects / Community Connections / West Junior High / USD 497 |
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