St. John’s Lutheran Church  

Date of Construction: 1932 with additions to 2013.

Architectural Style: Gothic Revival.

This site was originally home to the First Baptist Church, which was built in 1874. In 1892, the growing St. John’s Lutheran congregation (est. 1869), consisting largely of Germans, moved from their original church at Ninth and Pine streets into the former Baptist church. Fire destroyed that building in March 1932. Dedication services for the new church, which was designed by Alfred Fleck, were held in November of that same year. The congregation remained here until 1961, when a new contemporary style church was built at 1700 Lost Dauphin Road.

In 2013, the Church building was reopened and renamed the Cassandra Voss Center following a $2.7 million renovation by St. Norbert College. A large glass-walled addition was constructed atop the original gabled roof of the entry bay. A similar pyramidal glass roof was added atop the bell tower.

The building continues to serve as the Cassandra Voss Center, which is part of the St. Norbert College campus. It features offices, study space, performance space, a kitchen, a classroom, and a library. The Center offers a variety of programs “exploring intersectional issues of identity and inclusion” and “fostering dialogue on topics related to justice and identity including racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism”.

Located next door at 306 3^rd Street, which today serves as the St. Norbert College Alumni House, is the former St. John’s Lutheran Church parsonage.

The Cassandra Voss Center was named in honor of former St. Norbert College student Cassandra Voss, who tragically died in a car accident at the age of 21. Before her death, she was on track to become St. Norbert College’s first student to graduate with a major in women’s and gender studies. Cassandra had expressed hope of eventually creating a single space on campus for all gender-related programming, and that vision has now been realized.