Wender·Vista
First Christian Church
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
across the green from the courthouse in Columbus, Indiana

First Christian Church

— — a brick tower that taught the rest of the town how to listen.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“First Christian Church sits on Fifth Street in Columbus, Indiana, across from the courthouse lawn. Eliel Saarinen designed it in 1942, and it is among the earliest modernist church buildings in the United States. The plan reads as two flat brick volumes — a long nave and a tall freestanding bell tower — joined by a low cloister. The square tower rises 166 feet and carries a single black cross on its south face. Columbus's run of pilgrimage-worthy modernist architecture, anchored by names like Saarinen, Pei, and Roche, begins here. The church holds Sunday services and stays open to visitors most weekdays.

from the studio
First Christian Church
— bring it home

First Christian Church, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about First Christian Church

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

First Christian Church stands at 531 Fifth Street in Columbus, Indiana, across the green from the Bartholomew County Courthouse. The Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen designed the building in 1939 and completed it in 1942, with his son Eero Saarinen contributing to the early studies. It is among the first modernist church buildings constructed in the United States and the project that opened Columbus to the wider commission program that filled the small Indiana town with work by I. M. Pei, Kevin Roche, Robert Venturi, and others. The National Park Service designated First Christian a National Historic Landmark in 2001. The congregation is part of the Disciples of Christ tradition.

— the stone

The composition is two flat-roofed brick volumes set against one another: a long horizontal sanctuary block and a square campanile that rises 166 feet on a free-standing base. The brick is a buff Indiana common, laid in running bond with a recessed grid of slightly darker bands that registers the floor plates. A single black steel cross marks the south face of the tower. Inside, the sanctuary seats roughly 750 with a flat coffered ceiling, a long limestone reredos, and a tapestry by Eero Saarinen's first wife, Lily Swann Saarinen. The cloister and education wing extend east into a walled garden facing the courthouse green.

— the visit

The church holds regular Sunday services at 10 in the morning and the sanctuary stays open to visitors on most weekday afternoons; specific hours are posted on the parish website and rotate by season. The Columbus Visitors Center, two blocks south at 506 Fifth Street, runs the canonical guided architecture tour, which begins with First Christian and continues to the Irwin Conference Center, North Christian Church, and the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library across the courthouse green. The walking distance between the major modernist buildings downtown is under a mile. Columbus sits about 45 minutes south of Indianapolis by interstate.

— where
United States · Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana
— position
39.2031° N · 85.9214° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Bartholomew County Courthouse
county courthouse
at the lake
Cleo Rogers Memorial Library
I. M. Pei library
at the lake
Irwin Conference Center
Eero Saarinen bank building
3 km N
North Christian Church
Eero Saarinen sanctuary
N
First Christian Church
Bartholomew County Courthouse
Cleo Rogers Memorial Library
Irwin Conference Center
North Christian Church
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about First Christian Church — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Eliel Saarinen, the Finnish-American architect, designed the building between 1939 and 1942. His son Eero Saarinen contributed to the early studies. It was among the first modernist church buildings constructed in the United States.

At 531 Fifth Street in Columbus, Indiana, across the green from the Bartholomew County Courthouse. Columbus sits about 45 minutes south of Indianapolis by interstate, in Bartholomew County.

The free-standing square campanile rises 166 feet. It carries a single black steel cross on its south face and reads as a flat brick volume set against the long horizontal sanctuary block.

First Christian, finished in 1942, opened the door. The Cummins Engine Foundation later began paying architect fees for civic buildings if the town picked from an approved list of modernist designers, drawing Pei, Roche, Venturi, and others.

Yes. The National Park Service designated First Christian Church a National Historic Landmark in 2001, citing its role in introducing modernist sacred architecture to the United States.

Yes. The sanctuary is open on most weekday afternoons and for Sunday morning services. The Columbus Visitors Center two blocks south runs the canonical guided architecture tour that begins at the church.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for customers giving to friends and family who grew up in Columbus or worked at Cummins. The church is the building that defined the town. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio sits well in a study or entry.

The warm brick and crisp lines anchor Midcentury-modern, Minimalist, and dark-walled Library rooms. It also reads cleanly in a quiet Japandi scheme where one architectural piece holds a neutral wall.

Yes. The current midcentury moment leans toward muted brick reds, oxide greens, and matte black trim. A single Large tile of First Christian over a sideboard reads as collected rather than themed.

Above a console the single Large tile is the usual choice. Above a standard sofa, step up to a 4-tile Mural; above a long sectional, a 9-tile Mural in a 3x3 grid.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour lives in the ceramic surface itself, so steam and splash do not lift it. Glossy is best kept to dry walls and framed display.

A microfibre cloth, slightly damp with water. No abrasive sponges, no ammonia, no glass cleaner. The thin glossy layer wipes clear and the surface returns to its full colour within seconds.

Yes. Reid Wender paints the WenderVista atlas in a single studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no third-party imagery. Each tile is hand-finished before it leaves the studio.

— if this one stayed with you

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