The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
42°F
Current Conditions
Clear sky
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Damaged steeple finally repaired

This photograph, provided by the Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, was taken in 1865 by Civil War photographer Matthew Brady, and was used recently to create a replica of the building's steeple. The original spire was damaged by a 1913 tornado. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Brett Zongker Associated Press
This photograph, provided by the Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, was taken in 1865 by Civil War photographer Matthew Brady, and was used recently to create a replica of the building's steeple. The original spire was damaged by a 1913 tornado. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

WASHINGTON – The year was 1913 and Woodrow Wilson was in the White House when a tornado struck the nation’s capital, damaging the steeple of a downtown church.

It took some time – 92 years, to be exact – but this weekend, repairs are being made at Calvary Baptist Church. The church made a deal with local developers, selling its parking lot and other land for $10 million to go toward construction as well as preservation of the 1867 church sanctuary.

“This renovation and construction is a symbol for the rejuvenation of our neighborhood and how important it is for a downtown congregation to be part of that rebirth,” said the Rev. Amy K. Butler, the church’s senior pastor.

The congregation traditionally comes from the suburbs, but a diverse group of young, urban professionals increasingly fills the pews on Sundays, said the pastor. Butler, 34, calls it a good fit for her as one of the few women leading Baptist churches, and she sees the new steeple as a monument to the changes inside the church.

A storm deformed the original cast-iron spire, leaving only the clock tower intact. It, too, was taken down after a lightning strike damaged the building in 1949.

Architects replicated the original steeple from an 1865 photo by Civil War photographer Matthew Brady. The aluminum and fiberglass structure topped by a cross will be a new point on the city skyline, stretching to a height of 160 feet – well above surrounding buildings.

The spire is being installed Saturday – Abraham Lincoln’s birthday – at the church originally formed by abolitionists.