Grace United Methodist Church is a historic

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

donated to the people of St. Augustine,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, by American industrialist

Henry Morrison Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...

. It is located at 8 Carrera Street. Built within a one-year span (from 1886 to 1887), it was added to the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

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 ...

on November 29, 1979, for its architectural significance and as an example of community planning.

History

Henry Flagler set his sights on building the Hotel Alcazar across the street from the Hotel Ponce de Leon, but this site was already occupied by Olivet Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1884. Flagler offered the trustees of the church a new plot of land and to pay the construction costs for a new church structure, which they accepted. Flagler gave them a plot of land behind his first hotel, the Hotel Ponce de Leon, at the northwest corner of Carrera and Cordova Streets. Construction on the church and an attached parsonage began in 1886 and was completed the following year. On January 1, 1888, the first service was held in the new church, named Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, and it was dedicated later in January by

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

W.F. Mallelieu. In total, the church's construction cost about $85,000. Just like the Hotel Ponce de Leon, the church was designed by John M. Carrere and Thomas Hastings, of Carrere and Hastings architecture firm in New York, and constructed by contractors James A. McGuire and Joseph E. McDonald. It was built of poured concrete, an underused building material and process at the time, and was designed to complement the other Flagler buildings in St. Augustine with a Spanish Renaissance Revival architectural style. The concrete also contained shell aggregate and sand in order to withstand the sometimes harsh physical environment of coastal Florida. The red Spanish tile and

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

designs that appear on the door and on the church's tower are consistent with Spanish Renaissance style. The sanctuary was adorned with

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art NouveauL ...

stained glass windows, just like the Ponce de Leon. In 1947, a home across the street was purchased to serve as the church's parsonage, and the old parsonage was converted into an educational building for Sunday school classes and other church activities. Much of the interior was remodeled in the late 1950s. Some of the updates undertaken at this time included refinishing the walls and woodwork, remodeling the chancel and choir loft, rewiring and adding new light fixtures, installing a heating and air conditioning system, and installing new pews. The Tiffany windows remain. In 2011, Grace UMC merged with Christ Church, another Methodist church in St. Augustine.

References

External links

Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs

St. Johns County listings
a
Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs

St. Johns County markers

Grace United Methodist Church
*{{HABS , survey=FL-167 , id=fl0210 , title=Grace Methodist Church, Carrera & Cordova Streets, Saint Augustine, St. Johns County, FL , photos=4 , data=10 , supp=yes United Methodist churches in Florida National Register of Historic Places in St. Johns County, Florida Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Buildings and structures in St. Augustine, Florida Historic American Buildings Survey in Florida Churches in St. Augustine, Florida 1887 establishments in Florida Churches completed in 1887