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First Christian Church (1942) is one of the first modern religious buildings in America, and an outstanding example of the work of Eliel Saarinen.
The building was nationally recognized at the time of its construction, and had an impact on church design in the United States in the post World War II era. First Christian Church is also important as the first Modern building in Columbus and illustrates Eliel Saarinen’s genius in building composition and urban design.
The integration of arts and crafts into both interior and exterior reflect the concept of total design that Saarinen had developed in his Finnish period and refined during his establishment and leading of the Cranbrook Academy collective of artisans in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
The relationship of the building and the site’s open space, as well as the manner in which the total work relates to the surrounding urban fabric, remain lessons to later generations of designers.
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