St. Philip's Lutheran Church
A Modernist Gem from Urban Renewal
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The ordinary or quotidian in architecture often masks the unique, especially if time serves to dull the patina of something鈥檚 newness. St. Philip鈥檚 Lutheran Church is case-in-point: a faded Modernist gem, the church nevertheless embodies the remarkable story of its congregation鈥檚 persistence.
Now in its sixth decade, the St. Philip鈥檚 edifice still serves the vibrant community that built it, despite the exigencies of Baltimore鈥檚 history over the years since the building鈥檚 dedication in 1958.
Home to the nation鈥檚 second-oldest African American Lutheran congregation, St. Philip鈥檚 is also the first church in America to be built under the auspices of urban renewal. Accordingly, its design reflects both church-goers鈥 rapidly-changing expectations in the years after World War II and city planners鈥 embrace of modernist planning solutions. Set back from the street and moderately scaled鈥攍ike a suburban house鈥擲t. Philip鈥檚 Lutheran Church reflects mostly the ideas of its pastor at the time, the Rev. Francis B. Smith. Congregational lore and extant sketches by Rev. Smith attest to his direct involvement in the building鈥檚 design; the architect, Frederic Moehle, seems mostly to have translated Rev. Smith鈥檚 directions into the final, three-dimensional form.
Despite its modest exterior, St. Philip鈥檚 created considerable architectural drama within. Alone among Baltimore鈥檚 contemporary religious buildings, St. Philip鈥檚 low ceiling is illuminated extensively by continuous, floor-to-ceiling windows along both sides. An extensive clerestory window (now, unfortunately, covered over) washed the altar and its podium with 鈥渋neffable light.鈥 Otherwise, the original finishes of the church interior were entirely consistent with the Modernist鈥檚 creed: unfinished block and brick masonry (stacked bond), naturally-finished wood, linoleum tile floor, and serene abstraction throughout the space.
Rev. Smith and the St. Philip鈥檚 congregation fought hard to wrest those qualities from the City鈥檚 鈥淯rban Renewal Plan 3-A鈥 鈥 a.k.a. the 鈥淏roadway Redevelopment Plan鈥 鈥 laid out by architect Alex Cochran and first announced publicly in 1950. St. Philip鈥檚 had occupied a historic structure on Eden Street, designated by Plan 3-A to be demolished and appropriated for Dunbar High School鈥檚 expanded athletic fields. No provision was made in Cochran鈥檚 original plan to relocate St. Philip鈥檚, but a decade of persistent negotiation between Rev. Smith and Baltimore鈥檚 Redevelopment Commission resulted in the congregation鈥檚 purchase of the present site on Caroline Street. Construction proceeded apace, a year before Cochran鈥檚 own celebrated design for the nearby Church of Our Savior (now demolished) could begin.
Recent changes have tarnished St. Philip鈥檚 architectural shine: roof-top AC units, faux-wood paneling, 鈥渢raditional鈥 chandeliers, and much-needed heat-resistant glazing. An addition at the south-east corner provided accessibility for the disabled. But the building is still substantially the building it was in 1958. Especially on the exterior, the church鈥檚 bulk and orientation still express an ease belied only by Johns Hopkins Hospital鈥檚 looming physical presence immediately to the east. What appears 鈥渜uotidian鈥 is, therefore, merely that superficial change wrought by time; what is of interest at St. Philip鈥檚 remains entirely present, if just below the surface.