The First United Methodist Church is a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

church that was founded in 1868 in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

. In 1868 the first meetings were held in the local schoolhouse on the corner of what is now First and Sierra Streets. In 1871 The first church was erected and dedicated on Sierra Street between First and Second Streets. In the early 1900s the wood-framed church was moved to the back of the lot and a new brick building was added to it. And finally in 1925 plans for a new building were made. Designed by Wythe, Blaken, and Olson of Oakland, the church is one of the first poured concrete buildings in Reno and utilizes

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

architectural themes. The corner stone for the current historical building was placed in 1926, with the building being dedicated in December of that same year. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1983; the listing included two

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

. The second building is a

parish house A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, par ...

designed by local architect Donald Parsons and built in c.1940. and In 1965 another addition was done to add on what is currently the

fellowship hall A church hall or parish hall is a room or building associated with a church, generally for community and charitable use. In smaller and village communities, it is often a separate building near the church, while on more restricted urban sites i ...

, and

Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

class rooms. The church's congregation was established in 1868, and its establishment was organized by Thomas McGrath, a Methodist Reverend. At the time it was the first organized church in Reno. The congregation currently has almost 400 members

References

Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada Gothic Revival church buildings in Nevada Churches completed in 1926 Churches in Reno, Nevada Methodist churches in Nevada National Register of Historic Places in Reno, Nevada {{Nevada-Methodist-church-stub