Last week in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, I quickly stopped by a handful of older churches. Grace A.M.E. Zion shown above is on the National Register of Historic Places and was built in 1901 after church members divided over the issue of alcohol and the pro-temperence side established this church. It’s a Gothic Revival brick building with a pair of uneven entry towers. Through the first few decades of the church it was the home for many considered the black elite of Charlotte (application file is also included below with additional history). Today, much of the surrounding area has been repurposed for city business and parking needs, so the church stands a little isolated compared to its early era.
Below is a smallish chapel just outside of the city core in what’s known as the Mill District for its history with the textile industry. Named Christ the King, it’s affiliated with the Episcopal church originally as a mission church and was built in 1921. There is a church history page online, so I’ll just leave a link here.
Two blocks over was another church I thought had an older look, but after looking online, it appears it only dates from the early 1950s as Duncan Memorial Methodist Church (pictured below). The Methodists abandoned the property to the city in 2008 and it has changed hands a couple of times since.
The last church of the morning was Seventh Street Presbyterian Church (below).
This church’s congregation formed in 1869 when former slaves looked to create their own worship groups. The brick, Gothic-Revival Church now in use began construction in 1894. The group eventually merged with another local Presbyterian congregation in the 1960s and is now known as the First United Presbyterian Church.
The Old Church Project 