Meet Our Annual Theme Editor: Partners for Sacred Places

We’re thrilled to welcome Partners for Sacred Places as the guest editor of this year's Special Edition Newsletter on Places of Worship. Recently, we took the opportunity to chat with Bob Jaeger, who co-founded Partners in 1989 and currently serves as its president, about the organization's work and his love of dalle de verre. 

 

Mr. Jaeger has overseen the publication of a recent study on the Economic Halo Effect of older sacred places, and the development of programs to help congregations with internal capacity building, capital campaigns, engagement with the community, and the shared use of space. Mr. Jaeger holds a Master's degree in Preservation Planning from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

 

Can you tell readers a little bit about the origins and development of Partners for Sacred Places? 

 

In the mid 1980s, several local nonprofit programs serving historic churches and synagogues arose in Philadelphia, New York, and New Mexico, completely independent of each other. I served the program in Philadelphia, and we soon discovered each other, started to compare notes, and agreed that a national advocate and resource center was needed. By 1988, the first national conference on this issue was held, and by 1989, Partners was founded with the support of leaders nationwide.
 

 

We heard that you especially love stained glass windows. What are your favorite midcentury religious buildings with beautiful stained glass?  

 

Indeed, discovering Tiffany stained glass in a church in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I was going to school in the late 1970s, led to a lifelong love of historic sacred places. After World War II, architects and artisans were experimenting with new materials and new approaches to stained glass, leading to astonishing masterpieces such as the massive dalle de verre windows at First Presbyterian Church in Stamford, Connecticut (The “Fish Church”), and the enormous horizontal window at Loop Synagogue in Chicago.
 

 

If you could teleport around the country on a tour of midcentury religious buildings, where would you go?

 

I would start in Columbus, Indiana, which has a mid-century embarrassment of riches, thanks to the generosity of J. Irwin Miller, who ran Cummins Engine and encouraged local congregations to hire first-rate architects for their buildings by underwriting the design costs. North Christian Church by Eero Saarinen and First Christian by Eliel Saarinen are the most famous churches there, but First Baptist Church and St. Peter’s Lutheran Church are important as well. I would also go to suburban communities – which often feature mid-century masterpieces – like Beth Sholom Synagogue by Frank Lloyd Wright in Elkins Park outside Philadelphia, or First Presbyterian in Dearborn outside Detroit by Alden Dow. 
 

 

What is one of the bigger misconceptions today about places of worship in the United States and their preservation?

 

One major misconception is that sacred places are sites for worship only. In fact, for much of the week, churches house outreach programs serving the community at large; they are civic assets that also bring enormous economic benefit to their towns or neighborhoods. Another misconception is that our older churches and synagogues will always be there. In fact, tens of thousands are in transition every year, meaning that use and ownership is shifting, and many are closing. Without more assistance and more resources, we will lose many of our most important sacred places in the years to come.

The National Fund for Sacred Places has supported some amazing Modernist places of worship. Can you tell us about some of the congregations that received grants and their efforts to preserve their buildings? 

 

One remarkable Modernist building in our National Fund that should be better known is St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Indianapolis. It is the oldest Black parish in the Archdiocese, and the building is a treasure house of mosaics, stained glass and marble, all intact and beautifully cared for. The parish will be stabilizing and restoring a free-standing tower in the front of the church, among other projects.  Another example is the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee by Frank Lloyd Wright.  It’s not as famous as Unity Temple outside Chicago, but it’s a brilliant example of his late work, and we are helping the church repair the roof and HVAC system.
 

 

What are some ways that readers and members of the Docomomo US community can support the places of worship near them?   

 

Congregations often feel alone when they endeavor to keep their buildings active and cared for, so we would encourage Docomomo US members to reach out to them. Stop by the office to introduce yourself to the clergyperson or secretary, and share your interest in helping them lift the profile of the building and its value to the community. You might offer to help organize a tour, provide help to nominate the building to the National Register, or connect them to arts groups that may be looking for a place to rehearse or perform. 

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About Bob Jaeger

Bob Jaeger co-founded Partners for Sacred Places in 1989 and currently serves as its President. Mr. Jaeger has overseen the publication of a recent study on the Economic Halo Effect of older sacred places, and the development of programs to help congregations with internal capacity building, capital campaigns, engagement with the community, and the shared use of space. Mr. Jaeger holds a Master's degree in Preservation Planning from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

About Partners for Sacred Places

Partners for Sacred Places is the only national, nonsectarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to the sound stewardship and active community use of America’s older religious properties. Partners builds the capability of congregational leadership for building care, shared use, and capital fundraising through training programs, fundraising assistance, and organizational and facility assessments. In the process, Partners becomes a trusted resource and guide as congregations examine and weigh opportunities. Two Partners programs include the National Fund for Sacred Places, in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Faith and Form International Awards for Religious Architecture & Art. 

For more information about Partners for Sacred Places, visit www.sacredplaces.org.