(originally Euclid Avenue Presbyterian Church), 11205 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland; built 1909-1911. Gothic Revival.

Exterior: This church is built of Indiana limestone. The stone has a smooth finish and is set in a coursed to random-coursed pattern. Stone in this building is structural rather than ornamental: there is no steel or brick skeleton (Anonymous, 1954, p. 9). This is unusual, especially for such a large structure.

Interior: Interior walls, piers, and many other features are constructed of Indiana limestone. Most of these, with the notable exception of the stone frame of the south doorway, are painted. Steps at the entrance to the chancel are a fossiliferous light yellowish-brown limestone. The chancel floor is covered with tile with borders of Verde Antique. There is also a central diamond-shaped inlay of Red Levanto marble, a purple, red, green, and white brecciated ophicarbonate rock (a metamorphic rock composed of serpentine and calcite) quarried in Eastern Liguria, Italy. This diamond also has a Verde Antique border. A plaque in the floor indicates that a fragment of stone from St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, lies beneath the altar table.

The stained glass windows on the west side of the church include images of stoneworkers

Remarks: Indiana limestone is a freestone. Since it is composed of the mineral calcite, it is also relatively soft and easy to carve. However, it is also susceptible to acid rain, which in time can dull sculptural details.

References: Anonymous, 1954.

Go to: next section / previous section /main index