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| A 1971 View |
For just about four years now, I've been commuting to Oberlin, and it's always interesting to drive through the campus area. I've passed the First Church in Oberlin many times and wondered about its history, and whether it ever had a steeple (or spire, if you want to get picky).
Thus I was pleased to see that the Lorain Journal featured a photo of it in its December 21, 1939 edition, along with a capsule history.
The caption reads, "This red brick building, the First church at Oberlin, was once the largest church in Ohio. It is the oldest public building in use on the campus at the present time, and was built in 1842."
Two websites provide more detailed information. The Architecture of Oberlin College website notes, "First Church in Oberlin, originally First Congregational Church, was built from plans by Richard Bond, a prominent New England architect whom Charles Grandison Finney met while recruiting faculty in Boston.
"Building the church was a massive community effort, directed by Deacon Thomas P. Turner, a Vermont-born craftsman. The construction of First Church was begun in 1842, and the building was enclosed that year. The commencement exercises were held in it in August 1843, although it was still unfinished. It was completed in August 1844, and at that time it was the largest building west of the Allegheny mountains. It was built of brick and was characterized by rare simplicity and proportion.
"The tower, taken from an Asher Benjamin pattern book, was added in 1845.
"The audience room furnished seating capacity for 1400 people, and upon many occasions more than 2000 people have been crowded into it to hear the famed sermons by Charles Grandison Finney, the church's pastor and professor, then president, of Oberlin College. It was used for church services, the Commencement and other public exercises of the Institute and College, and for town meetings. It was the church home for all Oberlin people from 1843 to 1860.
"In 1860 a membership of 1545 seemed to make necessary a division, resulting in the organization of a second church, called the Second Congregational Church. In 1908, and again in 1927, extensive repairs, alterations, and replacements were made. First Church was listed as an Oberlin City Landmark in 1975, and on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Oberlin College thematic nomination in 1978.
The National Fund for Sacred Places website provides a well-written history as well. "Oberlin, Ohio, was founded in 1833 as a utopian, racially integrated community in which the church, college, and town were jointly governed with a commitment to abolition, women’s rights, and universal suffrage," it notes. "The town attracted notable preacher Charles Grandison Finney, who called for the construction of a meetinghouse for the growing community in 1841. Finney commissioned architect Richard Fifield Bond, whom he met in Boston while recruiting faculty for Oberlin College, to design the Greek Revival church.
"At the time of its completion in 1844, the meetinghouse was the largest building west of the Alleghenies. Defining events in the history of abolition occurred at First Church, including debates with Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. A century later, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the church following the success of the Montgomery bus boycott.
"First Church in Oberlin continues to be a major cultural center for its community. The church shares space with more than 75 groups, including interfaith coalitions, low-income family support, health initiatives, continuing education classes, community theater, and music groups. The church led the formation of the Coalition for Oberlin History, which pulled together members of Black history groups, leaders of the local African American community, and other community leaders to explore opportunities to further cultivate the city’s understanding of its own history and illuminate difficult narratives."
First Church in Oberlin has been featured on a few postcards over the years.
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| Postmarked 1953 |
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| Postmarked 1955 |
Here's an October 2025 view, courtesy of Google Maps.
