The Presbyterian Church of Pittsburg, Kansas

Our Church Building

History of the building

It was under Rev. Gerrit Snyder’s leadership that plans were made for a new church building at the southeast corner of 6th and Pine. On October 19, 1904, the stove in the old church building was smoking during the Sunday evening service. The pastor invited the group to adjourn to the manse and he stated the subject of the meeting now to be the need of a new church building. One week later, Rev. Snyder called a vote on the question: “Do we need a new church building?” It was unanimous. Rev. Snyder pledged one-half of a year’s salary for the new church building if the running expenses were met promptly. Fifty were present and someone estimated the cost to be from $12,000 to $15,000. The Ladies Aid Society pledged $500 toward the building fund and two years later doubled that amount.

The property at the southeast corner of 6th and Pine was purchased in 1906 from A. H. Lanyon for $6,500 and the old church, at 8th and Pine, was sold for $4,500. An architect was engaged from St. Louis who designed the building in the Romanesque revival style. The cost estimate rose to $20,000. The actual cost was $25,000.

The cornerstone was laid in 1907. During that time they built the Sanctuary and the Parlor. According to some reports, Rev. Snyder was the chair of the design committee, the chair of the budget committee, and the chair of the fund raising committee. He left before the church was complete and went to the Country Club district of Kansas City to start a new church. Rev. Alspach followed him and the new structure was finally dedicated in 1913.

In 1915, Dr. Walter McCray was instrumental in helping the church to secure a pipe organ through provisions of the Carnegie Fund which paid for one-half of the $3500 total cost. The church used that instrument until 1969 when the present Reuter Organ was installed.

Probably the most distinctive and irreplaceable feature of the church building are the beautiful stained glass windows. The two unique arch-shaped windows are the Parable of the Sower window, which is a replica of French painter Jean-François Millet’s 1850 painting The Sower and the Transfiguration of Jesus window, which is fashioned after Italian artist Raphael’s 1516 painting The Transfiguration. In addition there is a window inspired by German painter Heinrich Hofmann’s 1890 painting Christ in Gethsemane and a window depicting the motif in German artist Bernhard Plockhorst’s The Good Shepherd.

On July 18, 1999, ground was broken to build a new addition to the church building. The new addition was dedicated on June 24, 2001, which added more than 10,000 square feet of space.

A rededication service on October 4, 2009 marked the completion of the 2-year renovation and restoration project on the 100 year old building.