The New Holy Cross Lutheran Church - 1956

“The new church designed by Merrit & Cole Architects, of Detroit, was constructed by R.C. Hendrick & Son within a 12-month period on the site of the former 87-year-old Gothic style church at Court & Fayette. Clark L. Ackley of Lansing was building supervisor. 

The church features a bell tower containing the three original Holy Cross bells, now rung by electric bell ringers. A gleaming copper cross and spire – 50 feet tall and weighing about 3,500 pounds – rests atop the belfry.”

-The Saginaw News, May 25, 1956. 

In Order in the Court: The Legacy of Saginaw County’s Courthouses, we explore the story of Saginaw’s courthouse square, the public space at the intersection of Court and Michigan in Old Town Saginaw. It is bordered by churches – literally, a landscape defined by steeples. Since 1868 the western boundary of the courthouse square has been the home of Holy Cross Lutheran Church – formed in 1849, the congregation had an earlier building on the southeast corner of Court and Michigan. In the 1950s, the congregation replaced its 1860s building.  After the demolition of its earlier church, construction started on a new structure in 1955.  

In 1956, when Holy Cross Lutheran dedicated its new building, the congregation had already celebrated the centennial of its founding in 1849.   A 1934 article had noted:  

“One of Saginaw’s oldest church congregations – and incidentally one of the city’s largest . . .” 

“Articles of incorporation of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross were signed on Jan. 29, 1849, by six of the early settlers of the west side, who were natives of German. Holy Cross church now has approximately 1,200 confirmed members, the result of steady development through the years.”  (Saginaw Daily News[?], February 14, 1976.)

Although the new building’s design was clearly based on the 1950s architectural movements, the congregation and architect made a deliberate choice to reference the congregation’s history. 

“Features of the 171 x 91 building will include an aluminum steeple on the bell tower, chosen to keep the ‘old church effect; in the contemporary design, and a large cross on the church front, which will be illuminated from the interior.” (The Saginaw News, February 2, 1955.)

Since the completion of the church, several additions have been made; however, it is still clearly recognizable as the building dedicated nearly seven decades ago. And the tower, which evokes the earlier building, still houses bells that once graced the earlier church.   

The Recipe: Honolulu Punch 

In 1956, at the time of the dedication of the new church, the Ladies Auxiliary of Holy Cross Lutheran Church published a cookbook. Featuring a wide variety of recipes, the book’s cover features an image of the newly completed building.  

Honolulu Punch 

1 can Grapefruit juice 

1 can orange juice 

3 quarts cherry pop 

2 quarts Vernor’s Gingerale 

1 bottle red cherries 

1 bottle green cherries* 

2 oranges, cut in ½ inch slices 

May add: 

2 bottle red wine or 1 quart whiskey  

-Mrs. Erwin Clark 

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CTK NOTES:  

We only made a partial batch for photo purposes of the non-spiked version. It is a sweet, very mid-twentieth-century punch and perfect for a Fourth of July Celebration.  

*The CTK staff was unable to score a bottle of green maraschino cherries – they do exist. This link will take you to a less-than-scholarly discussion about them.

NOTE:

Mrs. Erwin Clark is almost certainly Katherine M. Clark. Her obituary notes:  

“Widow of Erwin P. Clark passed away 10:10 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2, 1980, at St. Luke’ Hospital following a brief illness. Age 81 years, Katherine M. Simon was born Oct. 6, 1898. She was a lifelong resident of Saginaw. She was married to Mrs. Clark Jun e18, 1914. He predeceased her Jan. 20, 1975. She was member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, its Ladies Guild, a charter member of Valparaiso University Guild and the Saginaw County Historical Society, a member of the Children’s Aid Society, the Lutheran Women Missionary League and the Lutheran Ladies Benevolent Federation. She had been employed at Home Dairy Co. many years and also was engaged in private catering.” (The Saginaw News, January 3, 1980.) 

Mrs. Clark’s contributions to the 1956 cookbook included a guide to Quantity Serving.