Skip to content

First Evangelical Lutheran Church

Lorain, OH

After their inner-city, historic church was destroyed by arson, the congregation of First Evangelical Lutheran decided to rebuild. The GROTH Design Group team was selected from a nationwide search for architects. The team employed visioning workshops and design charrettes to develop a Master Plan.

The new church home provides a sanctuary for up to 300 people, offices, fellowship to seat 150 at tables, classroom and multi-use areas that allow for a community food program and sleeping areas for occasional homeless families. The design of kitchen and multi-use spaces solved a challenge of flexibility, safety, and adequate storage for the church’s outreach ministries.

Also complex was the desire for the worship to be completely flexible for liturgy and music programming.

The Chancel is movable with all flexible seating.  

Art glass design and fabrication is by Cindy Kessler and Kessler Studios, Inc. in Loveland, OH. Picture of sanctuary with art glass by Bob Kessler.

Portfolio

Completion

2017

Square Footage

20,074

Services

Consensus Building
Master planning

AwardS

ALA Design Award
ASID Design Award

Related Work

Shepherd of the Prairie exterior
Churches

Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church

The Phase II educational addition was undertaken with GROTH Design Group and preschool, music and youth program spaces were accommodated with an expansion.

Churches

Christ the Lord

The Master Plan provided by GROTH foresaw a new worship and worship support spaces, expansions to the school and a multi-use fellowship hall.

St. John the Baptist
Churches

St. John the Baptist

The master plan design provides a new 40,000 SF building to house worship, fellowship, offices and meeting programs.