Saint Paul African Union Methodist Church
Encyclopedia
Saint Paul African Union Methodist Church is an historic structure located in the Navy Yard section of Washington, D.C.
, United States
. It is the only congregation in the District of Columbia of the oldest incorporated, independent African- American denomination in the country. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2011.
congregation that became Saint Paul's began as a prayer group in 1900. The church was designed by R.C. Archer, Jr., who was the second licensed African American architect in Washington. It was his first church commission in the city. The Gothic Revival style building was completed in 1924. Saint Paul’s is the only church that survives from a predominately working-class African American neighborhood in the Navy Yard area. It is also one of the area’s last surviving buildings from the first part of the 20th century. In the 1940s 700 units of public housing was built in the area and in the early 21st century mixed income townhomes have replaced the rest of the historic structures that surrounded the church.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the only congregation in the District of Columbia of the oldest incorporated, independent African- American denomination in the country. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2011.
History
The African Union Methodist Protestant ChurchA.U.M.P. Church
The African Union First Colored Methodist Protestant Church and Connection, usually called "the A.U.M.P. Church," is a Methodist Christian denomination and the oldest independent black denomination in the U.S...
congregation that became Saint Paul's began as a prayer group in 1900. The church was designed by R.C. Archer, Jr., who was the second licensed African American architect in Washington. It was his first church commission in the city. The Gothic Revival style building was completed in 1924. Saint Paul’s is the only church that survives from a predominately working-class African American neighborhood in the Navy Yard area. It is also one of the area’s last surviving buildings from the first part of the 20th century. In the 1940s 700 units of public housing was built in the area and in the early 21st century mixed income townhomes have replaced the rest of the historic structures that surrounded the church.