COLUMBUS, Ind. – Restoration work is underway on the $3.2 million First Christian Church “Save Our Tower” project after The Friends of First Christian Church Architecture Fund at Heritage Fund met all qualifications to secure a $500,000 challenge grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation.
Landmark Columbus Foundation is celebrating by hosting its third event in the Progressive Preservation Talks Series on Saturday, April 21, at 1 p.m., at the nearby Helen Haddad Hall. The free, public event will feature presentations by Columbus-based architect Louis Joyner and Los Angeles-based design expert Daniel Ostroff.
Joyner, owner of Louis Joyner Architect, will share his work on the Save Our Tower project. Ostroff, Head of Acquisitions and Research at The Eames Institute and Consultant to The Eames Office will talk about the connections and history of Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen-designed furniture at First Christian Church and other buildings.
The event will feature a reading by Sreepadaarchana Mujuluri, a Columbus North High School junior who was recently named the 2023 Indiana Poetry Out Loud State Champion. Video comments from the Consulate General of Finland in recognition of the Finnish designer of the church, Eliel Saarinen, will be shared. Nancy Finegard, one of the directors of the Jeffris Family Foundation, will also provide remarks.
After the presentations at Helen Haddad Hall, attendees can take a guided tour of First Christian Church to see the tower project up close and discuss the visible progress being made.
