National and State Register
First Presbyterian Church of Eckert
Delta County
The First Presbyterian Church of Eckert is an excellent example of the Craftsman style as applied to ecclesiastical architecture. Constructed in two stages between the years 1915-1921, the building exhibits many elements of the style, including a stone exterior, triangular braces, exposed rafters and truss work. Few Colorado churches utilized the Craftsman style.
Both the church and the 1949 manse exhibit the skills of area craftsmen who used locally collected basaltic rubble stone in the randomly coursed walls, as well as the 1987 church addition. The church is the work of architect Lawrence Valk. Known to have designed numerous churches and other buildings throughout the country, much of his documented work is found east of the Mississippi. After moving to California in the 1890s, buildings designed by Valk and his son displayed Craftsman influences. This is Valk’s only known Colorado commission.