Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-03-29
CHURCH STRUCTURES
And Some Suggestions as TO How They
Should be Built

easier Magazine notes with ap-
proval recent suggestion that church
es be provided with elevators. There
appears to be no good reason. it says,
why an elevator should not be used in
a church, to increase the value of q
gallery, for example, which usually is
a neglected and unpopular part; or to
be the means of furnishing additional
room facilities without the expense of
more ground space and separate struc-
lures, and that, too, without impair
ing the churchly character of the archi-
lecture.
There would seem to be in this some
thing worth thinking about by architects
and church communities 1t may be
doubted, however whether it would be
worth while to install an elevator SER
vice in churches merely to induce peo-
pie to occupy the galleries. Few of the
modern churches have galleries, and
those that have find little difficulty in
getting people to occupy them If the
membership of the church is too large
to be Accommodated in the main audi
torium. On the other hand, there are
some churches with galleries whose
congregations never completely fill the
auditorium below, and it would be OBJ
viously inexpedient for such churches
to go to the expense of installing an
elevator service.
But there is another aspect of lie
case that might be worth considering
by city churches. In view of Tie
great and increasing value of land in
all the larger cities, would not some
modification of the present traditional
type of church building be wise? The
city church of the better class repre-
sents a large sum of money, hundreds
of thousands of dollars in many cases,
and in some instances it mounts close
up to a million. Yet the plant to
use the commercial term. is absolute
ly unused except for four or five hours
week 1t will be said, and doubtless
with truth, that these few hours of use
for the two Sunday services and
weekly prayer meeting are of tremen-
dous Importance to a large number OF
people But if some way could be de-
vised by which the great investment OF
the congregation in building and land
could be made productive all the time
the spiritual benefit resulting from
these services would be in no respect
diminished Let us suppose, for IN
stance, that instead of Gothic struc-
ture which, however lofty or expensive
it may be, only furnishes seats for
few hundred people two or three times
week. a tall building should be erect
ed the first floor serving as the church
auditorium and the other floors being
high class apartments. Several dis
tinct advantages to the church would
result from such an arrangement. Its
property would be productive all the
time and the parish would derive an
income from it that would go far to-
ward maintaining it. Naturally in such
a case it would expect to pay taxes on
its property, and would thus escape
the criticism that is now so often dl-
rected against churches that they pay
no taxes on property whose value is
out of all proportion to the use derived
from it,
That such an investment would prove
profitable as well as feasible admits OF
little doubt. The apartments would ol
, course, be in all respects unobjection
able. and would therefore be sought ~
the most desirable class of tenants
Not only would the church, for this rea
son be able to command a good rent
but it would suffer less from irresponsi
BILE non-paying tenants, who do Sc
much to diminish the profits OF the
average apartment house. Moreover
should the church so desire it Nigh
rent its apartments only to tenants
e who would take pews in the church
This would add to the income of thu
: church and would bring number o
the parishioners so close. to the churcl
. that they would not have an excuse t.
! stay away from the services.
Two objections to such schem
might be made. The first is that it il
2 undignifled and improper for parisl
; to go into. the business of building ant
renting apartments. The reply to tha
is that Trinity parish is one of tn
; largest landlords in the city, and M
one seriously questions its right to b.
so. The second objection woud be tina
= the present type of church building
I calls forth the religious instinct in
= way that no auditorium in a building
devoted to other purposes possibl
could. There is undoubtedly mucl
force in this objection; but after all
, is only question of habit and associa
ton The early Christians in Rom