The First Methodist Church in Monroe,

Green County, Wisconsin Green County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,093. Its county seat is Monroe, Wisconsin, Monroe. Green County is included in the M ...

, now the Monroe Arts Center, is a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

edifice designed by the former Wisconsin State Architect E. Townsend Mix of Milwaukee and constructed of

Cream City brick Cream City brick is a cream or light yellow-colored brick made from a clay found around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Menomonee River Valley and on the western banks of Lake Michigan. These bricks were one of the most common building materials u ...

. It was commissioned in 1869 by the First Methodist Episcopal congregation of Monroe to replace an earlier church building that dated to 1843. The adjacent parsonage was completed in 1886, and the complete ensemble was finally dedicated in 1887. with With its pointed-arch windows as well as the steeply pitched roof and tall, narrow tower, the church exemplifies the late-Gothic revival style. The angled corner belfry tower and decorative brickwork are additional hallmarks of Mix's design. Perhaps the most striking feature is the

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

with elaborate tracery on the front facade, composed of teardrop-shaped stained-glass panes. The building 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 ...

in 1975.

Monroe Arts Center

In 1976, the non-profit Monroe Arts Center, which was formed to purchase the building, took ownership and opened it to the community for performances and exhibitions.

Gallery

File:Monroe Methodist Church.jpg, Facade with the rose window File:Monroe Methodist Church narthex stairs.jpg, Stairs from the corner tower entrance to the narthex File:Monroe Methodist Church narthex balustrade.jpg, Staircase balustrade in the narthex File:Monroe Methodist Church sanctuary entrance.jpg, Sanctuary entrance from the narthex File:Monroe Methodist Church nave.jpg, The nave, view toward the altar File:Monroe Methodist Church pews.jpg, Pews File:Monroe Methodist Church pew dividers.jpg, Pew dividers File:Monroe Methodist Church nave view to rose window.jpg, The nave, view toward the rose window File:Monroe Methodist Church nave window.jpg, Windows in the nave File:Monroe Methodist Church tower windows.jpg, Window in the corner tower File:Monroe Methodist Church windows.jpg, Windows below the rose window File:Monroe Methodist rose window.jpg, The rose window File:Monroe Methodist Church hall table.jpg, Table in the narthex File:Monroe Methodist Church parsonage.jpg, Parsonage File:Monroe Methodist.jpg, Vintage stereoscope image

References

External links

Monroe Arts Center
{{National Register of Historic Places Churches in Green County, Wisconsin Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Gothic Revival church buildings in Wisconsin Churches completed in 1869 19th-century Methodist church buildings in the United States Methodist churches in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Green County, Wisconsin 1869 establishments in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Green County, Wisconsin