St. Matthew's by the Bridge Episcopal Church
Encyclopedia
St. Matthew’s by the Bridge Episcopal Church is a parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which covers all of Iowa. It is in Province VI. Its offices are in Des Moines, and it has two cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of St...

. The church is located in Iowa Falls, Iowa
Iowa Falls, Iowa
Iowa Falls is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. Iowa Falls is the home of Ellsworth Community College. It is also a regional transportation center, located along U.S. Routes 20 and 65 and the Canadian National and Union Pacific Railroads. The population was 5,193 at the 2000 census. A...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, at the junction of Oak and Railroad Streets. The parish was established in 1886, and the church building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

Architecture

The church was designed by Robert Layton who was an industrial arts teacher in Iowa Falls. He was born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and when he visited his home country in 1912 he made sketches of several village churches. From these sketches he drew up the plans for St. Matthew’s. Louis and Ernie Weldon, two of his students, assisted with making the blueprints.

The building is located along the Iowa River
Iowa River
The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about long and is open to small river craft to Iowa City, about from its mouth...

. It is a wood frame structure that is rectangular in shape and measures 24 by 60 feet. The exterior is covered with stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...

 and the gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...

 ends give a simple simulated half-timbered effect.

The interior remains basically unchanged since it was first built. The altar is along the east wall of the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...

. The aisle is left of center with the pews along the north wall. The structural system on the inside consists of King post
King post
A king post is a central vertical supporting post used in architectural, bridge, or aircraft design applications.-Architecture:...

s, Queen post
Queen post
A queen post is a supporting post designed to span longer openings than a king post. A king post uses one central supporting post, whereas the queen post uses two.-Architecture:...

s, collar beams and struts which enhance the vertical character of the space.

See also

Other properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Hardin County:
National Register of Historic Places listings in Hardin County, Iowa
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Hardin County, Iowa.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Hardin County, Iowa, United States...

  • First Congregational Church (Eldora, Iowa)
    First Congregational Church (Eldora, Iowa)
    First Congregational Church is a congregation of the United Church of Christ located in Eldora, Iowa, United States. The congregation was organized in 1868 and the church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.-Architecture:...

  • Honey Creek Friends' Meetinghouse
    Honey Creek Friends' Meetinghouse
    Honey Creek Friends' Meetinghouse is an historic structure located in New Providence, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.-History:...


External links

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