City Presbyterian Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pilgrim Congregational Church
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 Location in Oklahoma
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1433 Classen Drive Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
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| Built | 1920 |
| Architect | Hawk & Parr |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84003389 |
| Added to NRHP | 1984 |
City Presbyterian Church is a church building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It was originally called Park Congregational Church. Later, its name changed to Pilgrim Congregational Church.
The church building is located at 1433 Classen Drive. The group that uses the building now is called "City Pres" for short. They are part of the Presbyterian Church in America.
The Story of the Building
The church building was designed by a company called Hawk & Parr. It was built in 1920. The building is made of red brick and limestone. Its style is called Late Gothic Revival. This means it looks like old European churches.
After it was built, the church's name changed to Pilgrim Congregational Church. Many important people from Oklahoma City went to this church. One famous person was E.K. Gaylord, who published a newspaper.
From 1924 to 1935, Frank Milton Sheldon was the minister. He was known as a very important minister in America.
Later, the original church group joined another church. They sold the building in the late 1970s. For a while, an architect used parts of it for offices. The main church area was rented out for religious events.
In 1984, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important historical site. However, the building started to need a lot of repairs.
In 2000, two doctors bought the building. They wanted to turn it into a health spa. They even added a swimming pool inside! But their spa plans did not work out. The building was put up for sale again in 2011.
The Story of the Current Church
City Presbyterian Church was started by Doug Serven and Bobby Griffith. It began with about 20 people in 2011. They met in a home in Norman, Oklahoma. Their goal was to start a new church in downtown Oklahoma City.
That fall and winter, they held some worship services. They also started small group meetings around the city. They did social events and helped with community projects. This helped them connect with people in Oklahoma City.
City Presbyterian held its first public worship service on January 15, 2012. For over two years, they met in different rented spaces. They used buildings from other churches in downtown Oklahoma City.
On September 8, 2013, City Presbyterian Church announced exciting news. They had agreed to buy the old Pilgrim Congregational Church building! The purchase was completed on November 1, 2013.
After buying it, they worked hard to fix up the building. They held a "grand opening" on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014. On June 8, 2014, City Presbyterian Church became a fully self-governing church.
See also
