park view lutheran church (1929) time capsule extracted from its cornerstone

when i pulled up to the site, to document and extract park view church's time capsule, all that remained standing of this gargatuan gothic-style bedford limestone church was a portion of the exterior facade.

the zettler windows had been carefully removed by us a week prior, and now the cornerstone waited patiently to be removed before all remaining sections of the church were reduced to rubble.

it took less than ten minutes for the machine operator to bring down the wall's cut blocks, which swiftly left only a layer of common brick resting atop the cornerstone. the brick was removed by hand, and i immediately identified the outline of the stone hallowed cavity, containing its capsule within. when the cornerstone was pulled to the side, however, i grew concerned - terribly concerned.

the open-ended cavity was covered over by a heavily corrupted steel plate and a single roofing shingle directly below the metal plate. the asphalt shingle crumbled with the slightest touch and when the fragments were pulled out, i was puzzled by a heavily soaked and rotting wood lid that rested directly above the capsule.

my heart sank, knowing that the wood cover was the last barrier of protection against the elements. once that was pulled out, i realized the worst case scenario, in which the contents of an oversized copper box were exposed at the top, and had been flooded with water.

the rare and irreplaceable ephemera had turned to complete mush. with the exception of a few pages- peeled away from a hymnal that had fused together, the contents were a complete loss. i was incredibly discouraged and wondered why the builders would have left the capsule open. from my experience in the field, i know the box should have been sealed on any and all sides and covered over with brick and/or mortar, as with the four other capsules i discovered this year.

it's sadly now another demolition in which the messages once carefully placed by occupants and builders are lost forever. we will never know what those chicagoans of the past wanted us to know, what was significant to them about their church and congregation. it's almost as bad as the stone and capsule being crushed by the wrecking machine.

historical background on the church:

park view lutheran church traces its roots to 1907, when the reverend theodore graebner began searching for a location to erect a church for his congregation, which was officially organized in 1908, with services being held in the shoe shoe shop of nils andersen. two years later, in 1910, the first wooden church was built on a triangular lot located at 3921 n. monticello street.

six years later, the wood-framed church was demolished to make way for their second church built on the same site. in june of 1929 the official groundbreaking for the indiana limestone "french gothic" style church took place at 3919. n. monticello street. construction of the new church was completed a year later, in june of 1930, when the church was dedicated and parsonage relocated.

in 1949 park view is remembered in the will of the late erick erickson with a 40,000 "legacy," which made possible refinancing of the church's long-standing mortgage that was paid off or "burned" in 1956. a year later the church underwent extensive remodeling, including poured concrete entrance steps, alterations to the chancel, and the purchase of a pipe organ. in 1964 the church purchased the neighboring property located at 3911 n. monticello, where plans were hatched for a parish education unit. in 1970, the park view school was completed.