View source for Central Presbyterian Church (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

{{short description|Historic church in Minnesota, United States}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name         = Central Presbyterian Church
| nrhp_type    = nrhp
| image        = Central Presbyterian Church 2020.jpg
| caption      = Central Presbyterian Church from the west
| location     = 500 Cedar Street, [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|44|56|59|N|93|5|46|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin     = Minnesota#USA
| area         = Less than 1 acre
| built        = 1889– (1900)(presumed date of finish of the edifice religious)
| architect    = [[Warren H. Hayes]]
| architecture = [[Richardsonian Romanesque]]
| added        = February 10, 1983
| refnum       = 83000926<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
}}
'''Central Presbyterian Church''' is a church in downtown [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], United States.  The congregation was founded in 1852 and built its first building in 1854, which was later enlarged during the 1870s.  The rapidly growing congregation outgrew the building, so they built a new church building in 1889.  The building, an example of [[Richardsonian Romanesque]] architecture, is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="Millett">{{cite book |last=Millett |first=Larry |author-link=Larry Millett |title=AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul |year=2007 |publisher=[[Minnesota Historical Society|Minnesota Historical Society Press]] |isbn=0-87351-540-4 |pages=320 }}</ref>
The arched entrances, a hallmark of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, feature a number of carved floral and geometric motifs.<ref name="Millett"/>  The façade is coarsely carved [[Lake Superior]] [[brownstone]] with a massive 90-foot [[gable]] over the arches.  The architect, [[Warren H. Hayes]], laid out the seating in the [[Akron Plan]].  It features a raised semi-circular [[chancel]], which places the speaker in the front of the congregation and at the center of the chancel.  The pews are curved and laid out in a semi-circular pattern on a sloping floor.  This design, similar to a theater's design, allows each person to see and hear the speaker.<ref name="cpc">{{cite web|url=http://www.cpcstpaul.org/architecture.html|title=Central Presbyterian Church - Our Architecture & Organ|access-date=2008-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807174319/http://www.cpcstpaul.org/architecture.html|archive-date=2008-08-07|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Central Presbyterian Church (Saint Paul, Minnesota)}}
* [http://www.centralforgood.org Central Presbyterian Church]
{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota}}
[[Category:19th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States]]
[[Category:Akron Plan church buildings]]
[[Category:Churches completed in 1900]]
[[Category:Churches in Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Saint Paul, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Presbyterian churches in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Romanesque Revival church buildings in Minnesota]]