Capers C.M.E. Church, is a historic

Christian Methodist Episcopal The Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church is a historically black denomination within the broader context of Wesleyan Methodism founded and organized by John Wesley in England in 1744 and established in America as the Methodist Episcopal ...

church built in 1925 in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. It is also known as Caper Memorial Christian Church, and Capers Memorial C.M.E. Church. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on January 2, 1985.

History

The congregation was originally founded as the McKendree African Mission in 1832, near

Sulphur Springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underg ...

. The church was located on Hynes Street and was renamed in 1851 as Capers Chapel in honor of its founder Bishop William C. Capers. In 1870, the Capers Chapel became a member of the

Colored Methodist Episcopal Church The Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church is a historically black denomination within the broader context of Wesleyan Methodism founded and organized by John Wesley in England in 1744 and established in America as the Methodist Episcopal ...

(C.M.E.) (also known as Christian Methodist Episcopal Church), a Black denomination of Wesleyan

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

. It was designed in a

Neo-Classic style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

by African-American founded architectural firm

McKissack & McKissack McKissack & McKissack is an American architecture, engineering, program management and construction firm based in Washington, D.C. It is the oldest minority-owned architecture and construction company in the United States. The firm was founde ...

. With

Moses McKissack III Moses McKissack III (1879–1952), was an American architect. He had his own architecture firm McKissack Company from 1905 until 1922, and was active in Tennessee and Alabama. In a partnership with his brother Calvin Lunsford McKissack, they found ...

of the architectural firm McKissack & McKissack was a church member. The structure is a two-story masonry building, with four stone

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

pilasters In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...

References

African-American history in Nashville, Tennessee African-American churches in Tennessee Christian Methodist Episcopal churches in Tennessee Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Neoclassical architecture in Tennessee Churches completed in 1925 20th-century Methodist church buildings in the United States Churches in Nashville, Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Nashville, Tennessee Neoclassical church buildings in the United States {{Tennessee-church-stub