Too late to care about Third Avenue church?

“Great architecture has only two natural enemies: water and stupid men.” - Richard Nickel

Perhaps a few Gazette readers recognize this quote, and while the late Richard Nickel may not be well known, the work and architecture he died trying to save from demolition is now widely appreciated as iconic.

In the late 1950s, Chicago was demolishing Louis Sullivan-designed buildings to make way for urban renewal. One man thought Sullivan's work should be preserved and praised. Richard Nickel would sneak into Louis Sullivan buildings in the dark of night to photograph Sullivan's work and would salvage as many architectural pieces as he could.

In 1972, Nickel lost his life due to a collapsing floor while he was attempting to rescue the ornamental interior of Louis Sullivan's Chicago Stock Exchange. In the end, Chicago cared, too. Sullivan's Trading Room was meticulously reconstructed in the Art Institute of Chicago.

The final question I have: Will Cedar Rapids care too late about its community treasure, the First Christian Church on Third Avenue?

Julia DeSpain

Iowa City