You are here

Western Pennsylvania » Ridge and Valley » Cambria County » Johnstown » First United Methodist Church

First United Methodist Church

-A A +A
1912, Boyd and Stewart. 436 Vine St.
  • (William E. Fischer, Jr.)
  • (William E. Fischer, Jr.)
  • (William E. Fischer, Jr.)

This First United Methodist Church replaced a stone chapel that had survived the flood of 1889 with survivors clinging to its roof, some for as long as two days, but it could not survive a growth in membership. The rusticated brownstone church, one of the largest in the city, has a cruciform plan with a broad central polygonal tower that almost engulfs the arms. Squat pyramidal-roofed towers mark each corner of the church and are roofed in clay tile. Inside, the domed central tower rises above the Akron plan sanctuary. This church has played a pivotal role in the formation of modern Methodism. It was the site of the 1946 merger between the Evangelical and the United Brethren churches. On the fiftieth anniversary of that event, the First United Methodist Church was made a Heritage Landmark of the United Methodist Conference, one of only thirty-nine worldwide and the only one in western Pennsylvania.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Lu Donnelly et al.
×

Data

What's Nearby

Crown American Building
City Hall
The Professional Building
Johnstown Post Office, Boxler Station
St. John Gualbert Cathedral

Citation

Lu Donnelly et al., "First United Methodist Church", [Johnstown, Pennsylvania], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-01-CA19.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of PA vol 1

Buildings of Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, Lu Donnelly, H. David Brumble IV, and Franklin Toker. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010, 315-316.

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,