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Calvary Lutheran Church (Minneapolis)

Coordinates: 44°55′56″N 93°15′44″W / 44.93222°N 93.26222°W / 44.93222; -93.26222
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Calvary Lutheran Church
Calvary Lutheran Church from the intersection of 39th Street and Chicago Avenue.
Location3901 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis, MN
Coordinates44°55′56″N 93°15′44″W / 44.93222°N 93.26222°W / 44.93222; -93.26222
Built1930
ArchitectLang and Raugland
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.100007577[1]
Added to NRHPApril 7, 2022

Calvary Lutheran Church is an historic church on the National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The church was built in 1930 with an addition built in 1953. The church is an exemplary work of the prolific Minneapolis architectural firm of Lang and Raugland.[2] The church is located one block south of George Floyd Square.[3]

History

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The congregation was founded in 1923.[4] The church initially separated from Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Saint Paul due to a desire to have more English language services. The architects, Lang and Raugland, specialized in the Gothic Revival style and designed both the 1930 church and the 1953 school building. A parking lot was constructed behind the church in the 1950s in place of several homes.[2] A food shelf run by the church has operated since the 1980s.[5]

By the 2020s, the church had over a million dollars in deferred maintenance and limited funds to do repairs. The church decided to sell the building to a non-profit housing developer in 2021 in a unanimous vote. The total cost to renovate the existing buildings and construct a new apartment building on the former parking lot was $23.5 million.[6] The church space is used as a community area for residents during the week while the church rents the space to use for worship on Sundays.[7] 20 units are located in the new building and 21 units are located in the historic school building.[4] Every unit is considered deeply affordable which means the units are affordable for those making 30% of the area median income, about $33,000 for a family of three.[8] The units are a mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms.[9] Every unit was leased within two weeks of the completion of construction.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Peterson, Rachel (October 2021). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Calvary Lutheran Church (PDF). Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  3. ^ Boogren, Jill (29 September 2022). "Calvary church makes room for deeply affordable housing at 39th and Chicago". Longfellow Nokomis Messenger. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b Croman, John (19 January 2024). "Minneapolis church morphs into affordable housing". kare11.com. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  5. ^ Bryant, Maya (June 14, 2022). "Calvary at the cross roads". Mpls Area Synod ELCA.
  6. ^ Krauss, Louis (January 29, 2024). "A historic Minneapolis church solved its budget crisis by housing homeless people". Star Tribune. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  7. ^ Sepic, Matt (19 January 2024). "Aging Minneapolis church gets new life as affordable housing near George Floyd Square". MPR News. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Belfry Apartments: deep housing affordability in the heart of Minneapolis". Hennepin County Climate Action. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Calvary Apartments" (PDF). Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED). November 10, 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  10. ^ Netter, Dan (25 January 2024). "Trellis converts church into affordable housing | Finance & Commerce". Finance & Commerce. Retrieved 7 May 2024.