The Emmanuel Lutheran Church Cross on the steeple was removed this morning for restoration work.
The Cross weighs approximately 75 pounds and stands about 5 feet tall.
Cross on Steeple of Emmanuel Lutheran Church will be removed on Wednesday
(September 1, 2015) – For the first time in more than a half a century the Cross on the steeple of Emmanuel Lutheran Church will lowered from its place in the city’s skyline.
On Wednesday morning (Sept. 2) the gold cross atop the 185 foot steeple of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 917 West Jefferson Blvd., will be removed and lowered for restoration. Scaffolding now encases the steeple and Midland Engineering Company, Inc. of South Bend, Indiana will remove the Cross.
Emmanuel Lutheran Church was established in 1867 and the church was completed in 1869 marking it as the third oldest existing church building in Fort Wayne. The Cross is original with the building.
The restoration of the Cross is part of a total historic renovation of the church. The exterior work including the slate roof, the stained glass, steeple, and the Cross will be completed this fall. The interior restoration will be completed in the summer of 2016. Conrad Schmitt Studios, Inc. have been contracted to complete the historic preservation and was the principle agency in the restoration of the Bass Mansion.
The Cross will be lowered and then shipped to Conrad Schmitt Studios for restoration. Upon completion it will be on display in the church until it is returned to the steeple. The steeple and the Cross were last refurbished in 1957.
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