photographs of abandoned places #21

First Congregational, Harkness Memorial — Bellevue

Bellevue has always been a village, or a very small town. By accident, it is in three counties; the very western end of the Connecticut Western Reserve and the the Firelands. It was a railroad depot, and a large railroad yard still operates outside of town. It used to have a few Standard Oil multi-millionaires, all related.

Daniel Harkness paid for the church in memorial to his wife. He lived next door, and ordered that the church would have no bell. He wanted quiet. His half-brother, Stephen, had a daughter, Florence, who became the wife of Louis Severance, who had a church built in her memory. A Harkness chapel sits on Case Western Reserve University's campus.

 The bell-less tower has four non-identical turrets, and looks like a castle fortification. With sandstone, the quality and intensity of light noticeably changes colors.

 Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum sits adjacent. From above a red caboose the fortress steeple is visible.

 

The original, complete stained glass installation would have been magnificent. What remains is still impressive.

Here, new windows have replaced the original stained glass. The windows lower still are now, glass block.

Through the replacement windows, the opposite wall's stained glass is visible.

Asking a fellow at the train museum, he said it has been more than twenty-five years since church services have been held there. Did not find out, who owns the property, and the recent use of it.