Built in 1890,
First Congregational is today the oldest church standing in Spokane (see the news article below). It is also home to the oldest church organization in Spokane County, having been founded by the pioneer missionary, the Reverend Henry T. Cowley on May 22, 1879.
Originally constructed with a single round tower on the northwest corner, in 1927 the tower was remodelled into a larger, square tower and the tower on the northeast corner was added. These were to gain more interior space. In 1909 the sanctuary was remodelled at a cost of $12,000 and in 1924 an addition was added to the south end. This became necessary with the absorption of three smaller congregations, Pilgrim, Plymouth, and Corbin Park. Its uneven rough stonework is unique among churches in the city, setting it apart from all others and adding to its overall visual appeal.
Spokane experienced its worst and largest fire in 1889 and, in 1890, when other congregations were rebuilding with wood frame buildings, First Congregational intended to exhibit its faith in the city's future by constructing a large and permanent structure of stone. 123 years later, it still stands, while its contemporaries are all gone. A full description of the interior and exterior architecture is
Here.
Designed by
Worthy Niver, a little known architect of the time, with assistance by
John K. Dow, a member of the church, the building was to cost $29,245. Ultimately, Dow completed the church without Niver. The finished building cost $40,000 and the builder, Thomas Olsen, loaned the church $17,000 to ensure completion.
First Congregational Church
The First Congregational Church was built in 1890, when Spokane was recovering from a fire that had destroyed 36 square blocks. While few other congregations dared more than a frame building, the First Congregationalists opted to build a lasting monument to their faith. The massive three-story Norman structure proved to be the standard of architecture for other Spokane churches. The rough cut granite building represents a very early stone church of the Inland Empire
and is today the oldest standing church in the City of Spokane.
The church is one of the most remarked by tourists due to its very proximity to the freeway. While the lower portion (like Lewis and Clark High School and Deaconess Hospital) has been obscured, the upper portion of the church -- the two towers and rose windows -- are highlighted by the sweep of the freeway past them. The drama of the bell tower is further accentuated by the lighting of the structure at night.
Richardsonian Romanesque in styling, the church is typical of the work of architects Worthy Niver and John K. Dow, and of Spokane of the period. However, their utilization of materials is atypical: rough cut granite layed in broken courses is relatively unique in Spokane.
The church rises from a fieldstone foundation at sidewalk level. The fieldstone is random coursed to a height of two feet on Fourth Avenue. On the body of the church, granite ashlar rises to a height of 28 feet on the north face and 20 feet - on the west; the difference in height is created by the increasing slope of the Washington Street hill. The west tower is 60 feet high to the parapet while the smaller east tower is 40 feet high. The south addition is 24 feet to the top of the parapet. Wall construction is of stone except the rear addition. The south part of the building is of brick construction with granite ashlar veneer.
From the NRHP Nomination Form
Oldest church
THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2004
By Virginia de Leon
Staff writer
When Spokane was still a frontier town in 1879, 10 Christians gathered at the home of Henry and Lucy Cowley with the hope of establishing a church.
The Cowleys and their daughter, along with the families of R.G. Williamson and Enoch Selquawia, a Spokane Indian, became the charter members of First Congregational Church in May that year.
It was the first Christian congregation in Spokane.
Today, it remains the city’s oldest.
Now known as Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ, the church will celebrate its 125th anniversary this weekend. Hundreds are expected from throughout the area and beyond to attend a special service and luncheon on Sunday, as well as tour the historic gray-stone building that has long graced downtown Spokane....
...Before the historic building at Fourth Avenue and Washington Street was erected, the founding members of First Congregational Church worshipped in a wooden, boxlike structure complete with steeple and bell that once stood at First Avenue and Bernard Street. According to a historical account of the church, written 50 years ago by Charles R. Stark Jr., the building with its wooden benches was heated by a potbellied stove in the middle of the room. The church didn’t move to its present location until 1890.
It also didn’t get its current name, “Westminster,” until 1893, when First Congregational merged with Westminster Presbyterian Church, according to the 100-year overview written by James W. Montgomery. A second name change occurred nearly 70 years later, when the congregation voted to become part of the United Church of Christ.
From the Spokane Spokesman-Review