Unity Temple’s congregation will meet at United Lutheran Church while their famous Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building is restored this summer.
“Thanks to your contributions to our recent capital campaign, and a generous pledge from the Alphawood Foundation, we will be able to realize the dream of preparing our building to stand and serve for the next hundred years,” wrote Dan Crimmins, president of Unity Temple’s board of trustees.
The church’s building was designed for Frank Lloyd Wright’s own Unitarian congregation and dedicated in 1909. It has a cubic, flat-roofed design and is one of the earliest public buildings in America to feature exposed concrete. Wright’s unique, experimental design incorporated the use of poured-in-place reinforced concrete, used primarily at the time for industrial structures.
By the end of March, Unity Temple’s leaders expect scaffolding and fencing to be placed around the exterior of the building. And by April, the cleaning and restoration of the exterior and some of the interior, like art glass and light fixtures, should begin.
“We will continue to use our building as we do today through early June,” said a release from the church. “The final service [at Unity Temple] will be held on June 7. The interior of the building will be closed by June 22.”
On June 14, Unity Temple will host a parade and picnic alongside its annual Flower Communion service to bid a “temporary farewell” to the building during the restoration. Harboe Architects and Berglund Construction have been hired by the project leaders to work on the restoration.
The Landmarks Preservation Council owns a preservation and conservation easement on Unity Temple. This easement requires the state nonprofit to review and approve all work affecting the historic features of the property. Oak Park village officials will also be reviewing the project scope based upon current building code standards, typical to any construction project within its jurisdiction. The Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission will also review any proposed work to ensure that it is in compliance with the local historic preservation ordinance.
All activities currently scheduled at Unity Temple will also move to United Lutheran, but some meetings and classes will continue to be held at Unity Temple’s administrative offices at 805 South Boulevard. Additionally, office space will be rented out in the “general vicinity of Unity Temple” and its administrative offices for the temple’s ministers.
From June 14 on, a single Sunday service will be held at United Lutheran, 409 Greenfield St., at 11 a.m.
Earlier this year, the church was nominated for consideration as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site. Criteria to be included in this list include the site being a representation of a masterpiece of human creative genius and exhibiting an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture.
UNESCO representatives are expected to review the building this year and make its final World Heritage designation decision next summer.
The Unity Temple Restoration Foundation has raised half of the $25 million they want for the church’s restoration. The Alphawood Foundation committed $10 million to the project and the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation raised an additional $1.5 million. Unity Temple is still accepting donations to help pay for the projected cost of the renovation.
“We look forward to settling into our temporary home and getting to know our gracious hosts,” said Crimmins.