Local church added to
National Register of Historic Places

Local church added to National Register of Historic Places
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | October 2025

Following a 3-year application process, the Luther Memorial Church building at 315 15th Ave. N. has officially been added to the National Register of Historic Places, helping ensure its preservation for generations to come. It was formally designated on August 4 and is the city’s fifth architectural gem to land on the list. To celebrate, the church is holding a community potluck on Sunday, Oct. 12, following its 10 a.m. service. Community members will get the chance to tour the building and hear a member of the Minnesota State Historic Preservation office speak about its architectural significance. Those unable to make the event may also tour the building between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday-Friday.

“I think it’s a feather in the cap of the church community, as well as the city,” said church member Maureen Sanford, who completed the original grant application for the building’s evaluation. “The church is original: the wood paneling, the offices, the furniture in the lounge, the chairs in the social hall.”

Notably, the building contains some of the first stained-glass windows created by August Molder in a style he patented in the 1960s. It also represents churches made in mid-century modern style versus gothic style. The sanctuary – designed by Lloyd F. Bergquist – has minimal ornamentation and was made with concrete and adorned with terrazzo panels, both of which were unique building materials for churches at the time. Additionally, the layout of the sanctuary illustrates how some Christian churches of the era were moving toward architecture focused on community-centered worship. For example, the altar and pulpit aren’t elevated nearly as high up from congregation space compared to gothic designs, and the communion rail fully surrounds the altar platform.

In addition to the architecture, the church was somewhat of a forward-thinking establishment at the time of its formation in 1953. It was formed through the merger of a German church (St. Paulus Lutheran Church, dating to 1892) and a Scandinavian church (Trinity Lutheran Church, dating to 1928). Construction took place in two phases – in 1956 and 1964.

“To have them [churches] combined back then was kind of unheard of,” said Sanford. “I think the foresight of those people to want to do that, and buy the property and go through the whole process of building the original the sanctuary – which then turned into the social hall – is pretty cool… Back then attending church was something that you did that was part of your social life.”

The process to get the church nominated was quite lengthy. A member of the Minnesota Historical Society inspected the building in 2022, and following encouraging feedback about its likelihood for eligibility, church leaders began the formal process. Two Legacy grants from the State of Minnesota of about $10,000 each covered the costs for the evaluation and the final nomination to the National Parks Service, which oversees the list. Sanford finally heard the building was accepted in July of this year. Only minor alterations have been made to the building since it was raised, the most significant being in 2020 when Sunday school rooms were updated and converted into a church daycare.

The other four buildings in the city on the National Register of Historic Places are the Stockyards Exchange building, Serbian Home, St. Stefan’s Romanian Orthodox Church and the Farmers Union Central Exchange Second Headquarters Building.

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