Saturday, May 24, 2008

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--a lovely old Gothic church

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church is located at 4300 16th Street NW. The congregational annual report from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America--the governing body of most Lutheran congregations in the U.S.--lists Grace Church as being organized in 1876. Unfortunately, the congregation's website provides very little historical information, (though it does mention that the church was built in the 1920s) and most of its information is currently under construction.

Regardless, this is a lovely stone church in the Gothic style. An older, also scanty website provides a picture tour of the interior, which includes a beautiful three-pane set of stained glass windows above the church's altar. Services are available in English and Oromo--an Ethiopian language.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 2/08

4 comments:

marley said...

Great looking Church! It looks so imposing.

To answer your question - GCHQ stands for Government Communication Headquarters. And yes, it is where they listen in to phone calls, check e-mails and general spy on the world. They call it intelligence gathering!

Lucky Dip Lisa said...

Great shot!! What amazing architecture. I love the angle you chose and the position of the tree. Your a natural DC.

The Artful Eye said...

This gothic beauty reminds me of something you'd see in Dark Shadows.

Interesting tour, the inside doesn't really fit the outside.

Janet Kincaid said...

Marley: Thanks! But comparison to some of D.C.'s larger churches like Washington National Cathedral, it's kind of small, but I love the imposing gothic architecture. Thanks for the reply on GCHQ. They're your NSA.


Lisa: Thank you. Most my natural ability is just pure luck!


Andrea: The interior decorating really needs some updating, doesn't it? It's like it's stuck in 1950s and 1980s faux colonial or something! The outside is rather lovely, though.