Sacred Union
Hamp Smith leads readers through lych-gate
with history of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church
by Judy Woodward
When Minnesota architect Cass Gilbert was on his honeymoon in England in the early 1890s, he spent much of his time sketching rural churches. A couple of years later, he drew up plans for a new Episcopal church for the Ramsey Hill neighborhood and used the opportunity to show what he’d learned in England. From the lych-gate at the entrance to the churchyard to the intricately carved linen-fold wood paneling to the rood screen dividing the chancel from the nave, St. Clement’s was to be a virtual catalog of English architecture.
Author Hampton Smith of Macalester-Groveland traces the connection between Gilbert and the church in a new book, The Spirit and the Bride: A History of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church 1893-1996 (St. Clement’s, 2007). The title comes from a verse from Revelation 22:17 that is inscribed over the chancel arch at the church, 901 Portland Avenunue.
Author Hampton Smith, a member of the congregation, stands in front of the lecturn at St. Clement's Church, St. Paul. He will read from his history of the church on April 21.
Photo by Brad Stauffer for Avenues
Gilbert is best known locally for his design of the state Capitol, but in the years before the turn of the 20th century he was the go-to guy for elegant church buildings to serve the affluent congregations of the Episcopal Church in the Twin Cities. Gilbert was in such demand because he was one of the most celebrated architects of his era. However, Smith could not overlook another factor.
The bishop who gave assigned him the St. Clement’s commission also shared his last name. Were Cass Gilbert and Bishop Mahlon Gilbert related? “The two Gilberts may have been cousins,” Smith said, “but there’s no proof. You have to wonder if there wasn’t a connection.”
The connection—if it existed—didn’t work for Gilbert all the time, however. He had drawn up plans for a parish hall as part of his original design for St. Clement’s, but limited finances prevented its construction at the time. By the time the church elders decided in 1911 to build a hall, Gilbert had moved to New York. Perhaps with economy in mind, the congregation chose a local architect Clarence Johnston instead. It was a move that provoked a scathing letter of denunciation from Gilbert, who still wanted the job.
Smith did much of the research for the book at the Minnesota Historical Society, where he is a reference librarian. A member of the congregation since he moved to Minnesota in 1983, he has first-hand knowledge of at least part of his story. The church’s history, he said, closely parallels the rise, fall and resurgence of the neighborhood around it.
St. Clement’s was founded to bring spiritual focus to the lives of prosperous members of St. Paul’s business and professional classes. Because of its location in the heart of one of the most prosperous districts of the growing city, Smith said he thought there would be very wealthy people connected with the early days of the parish. “Instead the congregation was mainly middle-class professional,” he said. “I expected more big names.”
Not that the parish lacked for social cachet. Two of the more prominent parishioners were Oliver T. Crosby, the industrialist, inventor and founder of American Hoist and Derrick; and Ronald Hubbs, president of the St. Paul Companies.
Still, the most famous person to attend St. Clement’s may well have been a young girl who lived on nearby Fairmount Avenue and sang in the Sunday school choir just before World War I. Two decades later, St. Clement’s rector noted proudly in the church newsletter that former parishioner Amelia Earhart had become the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.
The church’s fortunes have always been linked to the area it serves, and by the late 1960s St. Clement’s and the neighborhood in general were in decline. Membership fell as parishioners departed in droves for the suburbs. By 1981, the congregation numbered only 250, down from 1,000 in its prime. The prospects for St. Clement’s looked bleak.
The vestry, the church’s governing council, realized that the times called for bold action. They decided to use the last of the church’s endowment to hire a new rector. He would either turn the church around, they reasoned, or St. Clement’s would close. They had enough money to offer the candidate a three-year contract.
The gamble paid off. The Reverend Daniel Pearson began his ministry in 1983 and saved the church with his engaging personality and energetic organizing. In a parallel development, a combination of lower interest rates and a burgeoning interest in historic preservation had begun to make the area’s housing attractive once more to upwardly mobile young families.
If the founders of St. Clement’s could see today what became of their church, Smith thinks they’d be pleased. Current church membership stands at 650 and “we’re much more diverse,” he said.
Other changes might leave them in shock. On April 28, St. Clement’s will open a new chapter in its history when it installs its first female rector, the Reverend Beth Royalty, previously of Atlanta.
Before then, St. Clement’s will host a celebration for The Spirit and the Bride. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 21, in the parish hall with readings by the author, music, food and refreshments. The book will be available for purchase at $60 in hardcover and $25 in paperback. It may also be ordered through the church by calling 651-228-1164.
Judy Woodward is a writer for "Avenues,"
St. Paul's "News and Arts Monthly, where this
story was first published in the April 2007 issue.
It is reprinted here with permission.
Last Published: April 4, 2007 4:08 PM
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