Central Lutheran Church NE 21st and Hancock Street A House of Worship and an Architectural Treasure

 

Central Lutheran Church is one of the four church buildings which have been built within the Irvington neighborhood.  While the congregation dates back to 1924, this edifice was built in 1950 to plans by the noted architect Pietro Belluschi.  While much architecture from the 1950's today appears dated or clunky, Central Lutheran's design has stood up to modern architectural criticism so well that today it is regarded as one of the great works of 20th Century American architecture.

Indeed, Belluschi is the only 20th Century Portland architect who achieved an international reputation during his lifetime and who continues to be regarded as one of the greatest of modern architects.  This is the only one of his buildings found in Irvington; however he designed many of Portland's important buildings, including the Equitable Building downtown.  Belluschi's Equitable Building in Portland was the very first building approved for construction after World War II restrictions were lifted in the U.S. and is today recognized as the world's first modern high-rise skyscraper.

Belluschi's design for the church, produced 2 years after his ground breaking skyscraper, suggests a mingling of Japanese and Nordic traditions, a reminder of the commonalities in the cultural traditions of Scandinavia, the Far East, and the Pacific Northwest.  The entry portico and doors recall a Japanese gate. On the exterior, the cancellery or apse forms a solid curved wall of warm textured brick.  The spare church tower, topped with a wooden cross, is constructed of dark stained exposed timbers that repeat the cruciform motif.

In the interior, the architect has realized a quiet, meditative space.  The exposed timberworks curve like an inverted ship's keel, a reference to the Norwegian founders of the congregation.  Corbels recall Japanese framing.  The dark stained wood walls feature a simple board and batten detail typical of Scandinavian vernacular buildings.

For more information on Belluschi and on the international reputation this church building has achieved among architectural critics, click here.