Who Built the Cross and Logo on Fifth Ave?

by Larry Reimer

I’d like to tell the story of how the cross with our logo wound up on the Fifth Avenue side of Reimer Hall – as we move it to the east side of the Sanctuary – and replace it with a mural.

As you can imagine, when the congregation decided about a symbol to place in front of our new church building in 1976, the options were seemingly endless. We had just adopted the UCG circle of people logo, designed by moderator Marilyn Thursby. So, the logo was one option. Ultimately UCG chose to combine a cross with the logo. There was still a debate on whether to position the cross with the figures lining up with the cross vertically or tilted with the top figures evenly spaced. The final vote was the tilted logo on top of the cross.

The remaining issue was how to construct this design. As it happened, Paul and Jeanette Krieger had recently retired to Gainesville from Massachusetts. Paul had immersed himself in assisting in the remodeling when we bought our building. And it turned out that he had been an ironworker by profession. He fashioned, built and installed the cross and logo that has been on that building since 1976. He charged us nothing for materials or labor. Isn’t it fascinating that the one time UCG needed an ironworker, Paul Krierger showed up with this skill?

The current UCG signage committee has great options for how we present ourselves to the community. Regardless of what designs are chosen, it’s good to know that the cross and logo will be somewhere on the UCG grounds. And it’s good to remember Paul Krieger, one of the many UCG saints.