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Archive > 1st Congreational
Seeing things in a new
light
State Historical Fund Awards First Congregational
Church
in Loveland
$165,530 Grant for Renovation
The First Congregational Church UCC of
Loveland is pleased to announce having received a $165,530 grant from
the State Historical Fund,
a program
of the Colorado Historical Society. This amount, combined with more than
$56,000 raised by the congregation, will help with a $222,000 exterior
restoration and interior rehabilitation project of the First Congregational
Church, originally known as the First German Congregational Church.
The church is located at 8th and Lincoln near downtown Loveland. It was
built in 1915, and has undergone three major renovations (1950, 1965
and 1988), mostly all focusing on interior projects to enhance the sanctuary,
Sunday School classrooms and kitchen.
The stained glass windows were re-Ieaded in 1965.
“The historical grant is really a shot in the arm for (the churchgoers),” Rev.
James T. Watson said. “They’re ready to move forward, and it’s
really restored their sense of community.”
The congregation is becoming increasingly active in the Loveland community
and beyond, including local efforts to assist the House of Neighborly
Service and numerous world-wide efforts. The church has recently begun
hosting
meetings of the newly formed “Unite to Fight Methamphetamine” community
group. The grant from the State Historical Fund will bolster First Congregational’s
ability to participate in making both Loveland and the world a better place.
A recent article in the Loveland Reporter-Herald titled “ChurchAglow” described
the energy and vitality surrounding the restoration project and historical
grant.
“I think First Congregational Church’s reception of a grant from
the Colorado State Historical Fund is going to be a watershed event in the
redevelopment of the congregation,” Watson said. “The intention
of the grant is to restore the Gothic Revival structure so that it can
be preserved for future generations. However, in raising matching funds
and in overseeing the restoration work the congregation has experienced
a reawakening of consciousness and pride in its historical identity,
which has always been characterized by welcoming, embracing and incorporating
people from diverse backgrounds into its fellowship.”
Major tasks to be performed during the restoration/rehabilitation project
include:
• Improving the belltower structure
• Performing major brick and masonry restoration and cleaning
• Repairing stained glass windows (excluding two windows with religious
symbols)
• Improving drainage away from the building
• Installing a new power distribution system
• Re-wiring the attic and performing miscellaneous electrical updates
“We are very excited as this is something we’ve been working on getting
done since 2003,” said Pete Carnes, Restoration Committee Chair. “The
Church was very excited to hear the news of the grant as well, probably the
most excited since 2000 when I joined the church.”
Completing these tasks will restore the exterior beauty of the church, which
has been deemed “Loveland’s most outstanding example of the gothic
style of architecture”. It will also help modernize and improve the
safety of the electrical system. Future plans are to enter a second phase
of work
which will include additional activities to preserve the exterior and rehabilitate
the interior of the building. The approximate cost of the second phase will
be $130,000.
Coinciding with the Loveland Historic Homes Tour, First Congregational
Church hosted an Open House Saturday, May5. The public was invited
to come to the church to enjoy food and tours of the church anytime
throughout
the day. For information about the First Congregational Church project,
please call Pete Carnes at 970.461.9031
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