First Methodist Episcopal Church (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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First Methodist Episcopal Church
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 Location in Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Location | 421 S. Farwell St. Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1911 |
| Architect | James E. Fisher |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 99000241 |
| Added to NRHP | February 18, 1999 |
The First Methodist Episcopal Church is a beautiful old building in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It was built in 1911 and looks like a castle from a storybook, with its special "Neo-Gothic Revival" style. This style brings back the look of old Gothic buildings. Because it's so unique and important for its design, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. This means it's a special landmark!
Contents
The Church's Story
The group of people who would become the First Methodist Episcopal Church started meeting a long time ago, in 1857. They first gathered in someone's home to pray.
Early Buildings
Between 1863 and 1868, the community built their first church. It was made of wood and stood on S. Barstow Street. This wooden church served them for many years until it sadly burned down in 1909. After the fire, the church members met in the Masonic Temple for two years. They did this while their brand new church, the one we are talking about, was being built.
Building the New Church
The church building you see today was finished in 1911. It was designed by architects William Linley Alban and James E. Fisher from St. Paul. The building work was done by Samuel Converse and Company. It cost $30,000 to build, which was a lot of money back then! The new church was big enough to seat 650 people.
What the Church Looks Like
The church has a unique shape, like a cross, with a tall, square tower in one corner. This tower is three stories high. The bottom part of the church is made of rough-cut limestone rocks. The walls above are made of smooth limestone blocks.
Special Features
You can see strong supports called buttresses at the corners of the building. The walls at the ends of the roof go up higher than the roof itself, like decorative fences. A cross sits on top of one of these high wall sections.
The church's "Neo-Gothic Revival" style can be seen in several ways:
- The doors have special windows above them called transoms, which have a Gothic design.
- The roofs are very steep, pointing high towards the sky.
- The building has an interesting, uneven shape, which is typical of this style.
Inside the church, some things have changed over the years. However, the original pipe organ is still there. It was built by a company called W.W. Kimball and Company from Chicago.
Who Used the Church?
Over the years, this church building has been home to different groups of people.
New Owners
In 1930, the First Methodist Episcopal Church joined with another church, Lake Street Episcopal Church. They moved to a larger building on Lake Street. The building on Farwell Street was then bought by Immanuel Lutheran. This was a Swedish Evangelical Lutheran church group that started in 1883. By 1930, their old building was too small, so they bought the First Episcopal Church's building.
Immanuel Lutheran used the building from 1931 until 1981. After that, they sold it to the Unitarian Fellowship, who then used the building.
