Saline First Presbyterian Church
National Register of Historic Places

Saline First Presbyterian Church

Saline, Washtenaw County, Michigan
Listed
October 9, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
85002960

About this property

Saline First Presbyterian Church is a historic church located at 143 E. Michigan Avenue in Saline, Michigan. It was added to the National Register in 1985 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1995. In 1831, soon after the opening of the Erie Canal, a group of twelve Presbyterian families from Newark, New York pulled up stakes and headed westward to Detroit. The families settled in the area around what is now Saline, and immediately began holding church services. For a decade, these services were held in private homes, schools, or other meeting places; finally, in 1842, the Presbyterian congregation constructed a frame church on the site where the present church is located. This early church served the congregation until 1898, when the current church was constructed. The congregation hired Detroit architects Frederick H. Spier and William C. Rohns to design the church, and local contractor Conrad Schaffer and Son to build it. The structure and interior furnishings cost a total of $5,981. New porches and steps were constructed in 1954, using stones quarried from the same location as the original stones were. In the mid-1970s, the building was extensively renovated both inside and out. The sanctuary was renovated and restored in 1998, and is still used for services. The Saline Presbyterian Church is a brick Romanesque Revival structure, built with an irregular plan on a heavy stone foundation. It has a gable roof and a large square corner tower topped with spires; a smaller round tower is located at the southeast corner. The south and east sides of the building feature large stained glass windows. First Presbyterian Church (1956), 125th anniversary: First Presbyterian Church, Saline, Michigan, 1831-1956, First Presbyterian Church First Presbyterian Church (Saline, Mich.); Nehemiah P. Stanton (1899), History of the First Presbyterian church society of Saline, Michigan, The Wolverine printing co.

Location

143 E. Michigan Ave.
Saline, Washtenaw County, Michigan
42.16724, -83.78049

Categories

ARCHITECTURERELIGION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Union Block
Civil War
0.1 mi
Wallace Block-Old Saline Village Hall
Industrial
0.1 mi
Church, Zalmon, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Forbes, Jortin, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Van Duzer, Samuel D., House
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Saline First Presbyterian Church listed on the National Register?

Saline First Presbyterian Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 9, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Saline First Presbyterian Church?

Saline First Presbyterian Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Saline First Presbyterian Church?

The period of significance for Saline First Presbyterian Church is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Saline First Presbyterian Church?

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