LOGAN SQUARE — Norwegian Lutheran Memorial church, nicknamed the Minnekirken or “Red Church,” needs a costly new roof.
Minnekirken church leaders are raising money to replace the roof, which is falling apart in sections of the upstairs chapel.
Congregation President Beverly Covyeau estimates it will cost $450,000 to $500,000 to replace it. She hopes neighbors can donate to the project so the church — which towers over the heart of Logan Square at the Milwaukee, Logan, Kedzie traffic circle — can still be part of the neighborhood.
The 112-year-old church at 2614 N. Kedzie Ave., a historical landmark that underwent its first major exterior renovation in 2021 and reopened in 2022, relies on donations and fundraisers from the congregation and neighborhood groups.
A $725,000 exterior renovation rebuilt the church’s facade, repaired the steeple and made other cosmetic repairs. An Adopt-A-Landmark grant of $250,000 helped pay for some of the work, and a community fundraiser brought in about $277,000 to complete it.
The chapel roof has never been replaced, but it is becoming desperately needed, Covyeau said.
“It’s nearly half a million dollars to renovate the roof,” Covyeau said. “We spent the money we had on the front.”
Bruce Faland, a member of the church’s Board of Trustees who is a contractor and builder, said the restoration of the steeple added pressure to the chapel roof, damaging it and causing the roof to open up in sections. Parts of the moulding started to fall out in April, and the roof structure has become weaker, he said.
The damage has caused a large hole on top of the chapel sanctuary that needs to be cleaned several times a week, church leaders said. Because of the roof’s condition, debris, plaster and bricks sometimes fall out, Faland said.
That damage has spread to the sides of the chapel, and church leaders worry it could get worse if it goes untreated.
Faland, who was baptized in the church and wants to see it preserved, said replacing the roof should be part of the community’s responsibility to help maintain the building as a lively treasure for neighbors and architecture aficionados.
“There is a connection to the homeland here and keeping up with traditions,” said Faland, whose parents were from Norway. “It’s not the building itself, but you need the building to have the environment and keep up the culture.”
Growing up in the area, he remembers the congregation and church “was like an extended family,” he said. His parents were married inside Minnekirken, and it was a place where the Norwegian culture was celebrated. Traditional events normally brought hundreds of people from all over the city and suburbs.
The congregation still hosts the annual Norwegian Christmas Concert and the Taste of Norway event, but the congregation has dwindled as the area demographics have shifted and more Norwegians move to the suburbs, Faland said.
With that, donations has have fallen off, church leaders say.
“They did a phenomenal job on the [past renovation] and cleaned it all up like nothing happened … but we need a roof,” Covyeau said
The church also hosts free community concerts by local classical artists and symphonies, as well as meetings hosted by the Logan Square Preservation group. Musician Brian Riggs will perform classical music 1 p.m. Sunday.
People can donate to the church’s roof fund online.
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