Christ Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church building in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

. It was organized on January 7, 1828, by thirteen men who elected the first

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

that night. In the first year, the vestry hired the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

William Nichols to design the building and oversee its construction. The building was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on July 28, 1975.

History

The lot was purchased from the "Mayor and Aldermen of the Town of Tuskaloosa" for $150.00, and the cost of the building was $1,700.00. Twenty-five pews were placed in the

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

and were sold for bids ranging from $75 to $150 or were rented for $8 a year. This was the only source of income at the time. The building was completed, and on April 12, 1831, the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

held charter ceremonies here. Additions and changes to the church building have taken place over the years: in 1882 the building was enlarged and remodeled from

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

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 ...

style, and the

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

was added. An

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

was installed in 1830 when the building was finished, but in 1941 the console was moved from the south to the north side of the chancel. The parish hall and

rectory 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, p ...

were begun in 1906, but in 1952 the old rectory was torn down and ground was broken for the

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

and education building. In 1984 a

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

was added on the west end of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

to protect the church from street noise, and at the same time, a

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

ed walk was built from the education building and the bell tower. Today, Christ Church is the oldest church in the Diocese of Alabama. Thirty-five

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows add colorful inspiration to the buildings on the property: seventeen in the main church, eight in the parish hall, six in the chapel, four in the narthex and a domed ceiling in the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

. The Rev. Albert A. Muller was the first rector to serve Christ Church.

References

External links

Christ Episcopal Church (Official website)
Episcopal church buildings in Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama William Nichols buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in Alabama Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage {{Alabama-Anglican-church-stub