St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Sioux City, Iowa)

St. Thomas Episcopal Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
View from the southwest, across 12th and Douglas
Show map of Iowa Show map of the US
Location	1200 Douglas Street, Sioux City, Iowa
Coordinates	42°30′11″N 96°24′23″W / 42.50306°N 96.40639°W / 42.50306; -96.40639Coordinates: 42°30′11″N 96°24′23″W / 42.50306°N 96.40639°W / 42.50306; -96.40639
Area	less than one acre
Built	1892
Architect	John M. Poorbaugh
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival
NRHP Reference #	84001612[1]
Added to NRHP	September 27, 1984

St. Thomas Episcopal Church is a parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. The church is located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States, at 1200 Douglas Street. The church building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The first Episcopalian Church service in Sioux City was conducted by a missionary from Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1857. St. Thomas Church was established two years later. A small frame church was built for the congregation on the corner of Nebraska and 7th Streets in 1860 for $1,550.^[2] By 1881 it became necessary to add onto the church, and a rectory was built at the same time. A pipe organ was purchased for the same price that the original church was built.

The cornerstone for the present church was laid in 1891. The church was designed in the Romanesque Revival style by John M. Poorbaugh. The building was completed the following year and cost about $80,000 to build.^[2] The stained glass windows from the old church were removed before the building was torn down. They were donated in 1893 to Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church in Mapleton, Iowa and were placed in their new church built in 1896.^[3] A new pipe organ was purchased in 1909 and the Weare Chapel was added at the same time.

In 1922 a fire from an overheated furnace caused extensive damage to the church. The building had to be rebuilt and a new organ was purchased. The church was redecorated again in 1951.

In the early 1960s, the Parish House was built and the parish acquired a new rectory. Weare Chapel was restored in 1980 under the direction of Howard Tervillian, who was Architect in Residence for the Washington National Cathedral, in Washington, D.C. ^[2] Another renovation of the church occurred in 1982.

References

External links

• St. Thomas’ Web Site
• Archiplanet Listing

Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
Bishops	Henry Washington Lee William Stevens Perry Theodore Nevin Morrison Harry Sherman Longley Elwood Lindsay Haines Gordon V. Smith Walter Cameron Righter C. Christopher Epting Alan Scarfe
Cathedrals	Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, Des Moines Trinity Cathedral, Davenport
Churches	Christ Church, Burlington Church of the Saviour, Clermont St. John's Church, Dubuque St. Paul's Church, Durant St. Luke's Church, Fort Madison St. Paul's Church, Harlan Trinity Church, Iowa City St. Matthew's by the Bridge, Iowa Falls St. John's Church, Keokuk St. George's Church, Le Mars Trinity Memorial, Mapleton St. Barnabas Church, Montrose Trinity Church, Muscatine St. Stephen's Church, Newton St. James Church, Oskaloosa Trinity Church, Ottumwa St. Thomas Church, Sioux City St. Andrew's Church, Waverly
Former Institutions	Clarissa Cook Home for the Friendless, Davenport St. Katharine's School, Davenport St. Luke's Hospital, Davenport