Despite its spectacular collection of Modernist architecture, Columbus, Indiana, has a surprising dearth of architects. Louis Joyner is one of just a handful of architects currently based in this small city of about 50,000 residents.
So, when First Christian Church—one of the nation’s first Modernist churches, designed by noted Finnish American architect Eliel Saarinen and built in 1942—needed an architect to restore its iconic, 166-foot-tall clock tower in Columbus, Joyner was one of the only local options. But he was far from the default: Dave Woodall, the Church’s facility manager, said Joyner was the obvious choice for the job.
“We did look at some other [firms that] were out of state,” said Woodall. “It came down to Louis because he knew the facility so well.”
The restoration was completed in late 2023, funded in part by a grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places, a program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. But Joyner’s involvement with First Christian Church’s preservation began more than 25 years ago, when he first started advocating to protect Columbus’s Modernist legacy.