The History and Architecture of St. Marcus Church

St. Marcus Lutheran Church began its existence in 1873 as a branch school of St. John's Lutheran, 8th & Vliet st.  St. John's had purchased a 50-foot corner lot at Beaubian and Short st. (Palmer & Garfield), along with the two-story frame house in which school classes were held.  Two years later St. John's agreed to sell the house and lot to 13 families who wished to form a church, under the condition that the new congregation join the Wisconsin Synod.  The new group agreed, taking its name from the second of the four evangelist, St. Mark.

For six years the congregation held worship services in the upper floor of the house and conducted its school downstairs.  In 1881, the people decided to move the school building to the rear of the lot and build a large frame church on the corner.  The interior was decorated in the German Gothic style, with an ornately carved pedestal pulpit, canopy and altar.  All were painted white and gilded.  The altar's centerpiece was an original oil painting of Christ in Gethsemane.

The congregation grew very rapidly in the next three decades and they soon resolved to build a larger worship space.  The present red brick church was built in 1913.  Its exterior was designed in the English Gothic style, with large square towers, limestone trim, wide windows with a flatter arch and castle-like crenellations at the tops of the two towers.  The interior still utilized the German Gothic style with its dark, richly carved oak woodwork, curving balcony railing and elaborate hymnboard surrounds.

As the 75th anniversary in 1950 approached, the congregation chose to renovate and change the interior of the church.  New carpeting and chandeliers were added, and the decision was made to remove the altar, pulpit, canopy, modest communion rail, baptismal font and lectern.  No one knows what happened to any of those items.  All that survived is the Gethsemane oil painting, which currently hangs in the second floor school hallway and the gilded dove from the canopy (symbolizing the Holy Spirit), which for 47 years was mounted in a frame and hung above the main doors to the nave. 

In its place, the committee chose to install blond oak chancel furniture in the Modern Gothic style, very fashionable in the 1950's.  The elaborate stenciling on the walls was painted over a tall wainscot paneling was installed on either side of the altar.  During the centennial year of 1975 artist Jerome Harders, a son of the congregation, was commissioned to carve a large blond oak cross, which was then mounted in the center of the altar in front of the red velvet dossal curtains.  In 1983, St. Marcus was given the historic chancel furniture from the demolished St. Jacobi Lutheran Church on 13th & Mitchell on the south side.

In 1996, the church was ready for another renovation.  After the Council and Altar Guild pondered the changes needed and desired, they finally started the remodeling.  The carpet was replaced and the woodfloors were sanded and given four coats of water-based varnish.  The pews were moved to give an additional two inches of leg-room.