An Architectural Time Capsule from 1962

By Chris Hudson | February 4, 2021

The Luther Lounge at Christ Church Lutheran in Minneapolis. Photo by Chris Hudson.

HISTORY HIGHLIGHT

Christ Church Lutheran in South Minneapolis, designed by Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen and completed in 1949, is widely considered a masterpiece of midcentury design. But if you visit this neighborhood church at twilight, as I did last summer with architectural historian Rolf Anderson, you’ll find that passersby pause not at the original building but instead outside the 1962 education wing, to peer into the Luther Lounge.

The view from the sidewalk is of a long, teak-walled room appointed with classic midcentury furnishings by Florence Knoll, Grete Jalk, Hans Wegner, and Bruno Mathsson. As I took a few photos, Rolf explained why Eero Saarinen, architect of the iconic TWA Terminal in New York, took the commission for this modest church addition: He simply wanted to ensure the expansion would quietly honor his father’s design for the church.

Rolf also noted that the lounge’s tables, cabinets, sofas, and chairs aren’t contemporary reproductions; they are the original furnishings from 1962. From the distance of the sidewalk, the Luther Lounge glows like a life-size design-era diorama. The closer you get to the glass, the more you see the care the church has taken with its architectural legacy.

The History Highlight department spotlights beloved older buildings and landscapes in communities across Minnesota.