United Protestant Church member Bob Berg, left, Moderator Marna Fasteland and Pastor Mitch Nelson stand in a back balcony inside the church sanctuary. The Morgan Park church was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

A monumental concrete block church constructed by idle steelworkers in early 19th-century Morgan Park earned national recognition last month and will be a stop on a historic building tour this weekend in Duluth.

The United Protestant Church, 830 88th Ave. W., will be one of seven buildings and private homes open to the public during the annual Duluth Preservation Alliance Historic Properties Tour on Sunday, Sept. 15. The church, which opened in 1921, is celebrating its unexpected Aug. 1 listing to the National Register of Historic Places.

United Protestant Church pastor Mitch Nelson said he launched the application process two years ago despite advice from experts.

United Protestant Church is located at 830 88th Ave. W. in Morgan Park. It is one of seven buildings and private homes open to the public during the Duluth Preservation Alliance’s Historic Properties Tour Sept. 15. (Submitted photo).

“I was told by folks in the business that it was probably not going to happen,” he said. “Folks had tried it in Morgan Park. They tried to preserve the Fellowship Hall. They tried to preserve the town. Nothing has ever been successful … I was told really don’t even try — by professionals in the field.”

“But I thought: No, I’m going to go for this.”

At that time, only one other active Duluth church — St. Mark’s African Methodist Episcopal Church in the Central Hillside — had earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, achieving the status 1991.

But Nelson believed the church and its Morgan Park home had a deep and unusual history. He said the building was clearly a unique, significant structure and it has long been a valuable neighborhood landmark.

The United Protestant Church under construction in 1921. (Photo courtesy of United Protestant Church)

The Minnesota Historical Society agreed. It gave the church a $10,000 grant to begin the historic preservation process. A Twin Cities consulting group was hired to produce a 50-page report and submit the National Register application.

“It was awesome,” said Nelson. “That was the turning point.”

The United Protestant Church is the last standing historic community building in Morgan Park — a neighborhood designed and built by U.S. Steel in 1913 to house workers for its massive iron and cement operations on the St. Louis River. At its peak in the 1960s, the company employed some 3,000 workers at its 1,700-acre facility. By 1980 everything was shut down.

The steel works and cement factory, along with dozens of associated industrial buildings, were demolished and removed in the 1990s. The neighborhood — featuring its famous concrete block houses — carried on but saw significant losses. An early 19th Century Good Fellowship Hall featuring an indoor pool, bowling alley, theater and gymnasium fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1981. It was replaced by a much smaller city-owned building. The former Morgan Park High School and nearby Blessed St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church were both demolished in 2017.

United Protestant Church Pastor Mitch Nelson displays the contents of a time capsule opened during the church’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2021.

“When I started to learn the history of Morgan Park and the fact that the catholic church was no longer there and the fellowship hall had been torn down, I was like: ‘Omigosh, this is amazing history, something has got to be done to preserve the church,’” said Nelson.

United Protestant Church member and Morgan Park historian Bob Berg said the listing finally gives Morgan Park official recognition for its historic background. He said the congregation is eager to show off the building to the community.

“It’s a great example of Gothic architecture,” he said. “It’s got a beautiful sanctuary and some really nice stained glass windows. When you drive into Morgan Park it’s so noticeable.”

Like the homes in Morgan Park, the church was built with concrete from the nearby U.S. Steel cement factory. Berg said laid off mill workers made the concrete bricks on site. “You know, U.S. Steel built it and there were like 17 denominations. They said they weren’t going to build 17 different protestant churches so they all had to get together and decide what they were going to do. That’s how it got its name United Protestant Church.”

A painting of the United Protestant Church is on display in the church foyer.

Nelson said the National Register designation will make the church a candidate for historic preservation funds. If funding can be secured, the church would like to remove a coat of exterior paint that was applied decades ago and investigate tower restoration. A handicapped-accessible entrance is also needed.

But maintaining the beautiful interior will always be a priority.

The centerpiece inside the church is an ornate, two-story, wood-framed window behind the altar and choir loft. The wood frame looks like it could hold stained glass but it has always been empty. A blue curtain accents its dramatic design.

“We don’t think it was meant for stained-glass because there’s a storage area behind it. It’s not open to natural light,” said Berg.

Period white light fixtures surround the sanctuary and stained glass windows near the ceiling reflect colors throughout the building.

The small congregation is proud of its church and works hard to maintain it, said Nelson.

“There’s a whole amazing side story about what this congregation does to keep that building going and keep it updated. It’s just an amazing group of folks,” he said.

Church Moderator Marna Fasteland said an improved building will benefit the whole Morgan Park neighborhood. For example, the church stages a summer concert series and this year hosted National Night Out events open to all. A large community pollinator garden was also recently planted in its front yard. An improved building will help attract more people to the church, she said.

The church recently hosted a quilt show featuring the work of local artist Alyce Coker. (Photo courtesy of Marna Fasteland).

“I think we can do a lot more things here,” Fasteland said. “The goal is really to build community and to get people from the area to get together.”

The United Protestant Church has outlasted so many Morgan Park institutions.

“So much of the other stuff in this community is gone — the historic Good Fellowship Hall, the high school,” she said. “There were several kinds of community gathering points in Morgan Park, and this church, especially if it’s made more accessible, could play a major role in being a community gathering place.”

“I think there are a lot of things we could be providing here that would help this community grow,” she said. It would be a wonderful thing if we could continue to do that and make it even better.”

Duluth now has three active churches on the National Register of Historic Places. United Protestant Church joins St. Mark’s African Methodist Episcopal Church and St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Gary-New Duluth, which earned its designation in April.

Tours of the United Protestant Church will begin after Sunday services at noon, Sunday, Sept. 15. All other buildings on the Historic Property tour will begin at 11 a.m. All buildings will close at 4 p.m. Tickets and more information can be found on the Duluth Preservation Alliance website.