Long View Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Long View Center |
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Long View Center in 2008
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Vintage Church |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural style | Neo-Gothic |
The Long View Center is a historic church building located in the Moore Square Historic District of Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. It sits directly across from Moore Square, one of Raleigh's original parks from 1792. This building was constructed between 1879 and 1881. It was first known as Tabernacle Baptist Church. The building's name changed to Long View Center in 1998. This happened after a local developer bought it to use for different purposes. In December 2013, Vintage Church bought the property. Vintage Church Downtown now holds its Sunday services and uses the offices there.
History of the Long View Center
In 1874, ten members from Raleigh's First Baptist Church decided to start their own church. They called it Swain Street Baptist Church. Soon, their church building became too small for everyone. So, the members built a new, bigger building at the corner of Person and Hargett Streets. They changed their name to Second Street Baptist Church. The new location was officially opened in October 1881. In 1910, the church changed its name again, this time to Tabernacle Baptist Church.
During the Spanish flu outbreak in 1918, the church helped the community. They opened a soup kitchen in their 1880 Hall. They delivered over 2,000 meals to people living in the city. In the 1940s, during World War II, the church ran a special center. This center was for servicemen and was next to the main church building. About 2,000 men visited this center during the war. At this time, the church grew a lot. Its membership reached almost 4,000 people. This made Tabernacle the largest Baptist church in North Carolina. Because of so many members, two more buildings were added to the property.
In the 1960s, more people started moving out of the downtown area to the suburbs. This caused the church's membership to go down. By the late 1990s, only about 650 members were left. In 1998, the church decided to move to north Raleigh. They sold the property to a developer named Gordon Smith for $3.07 million. While their new church was being built, Tabernacle members continued to use the old building until 2001. In 2006, Gordon Smith rented the main church area to Unity Church.
In December 2013, Gordon Smith sold the Long View Center to Vintage Church. Unity Church continued to use the building until June 2014, when they moved to new places. Vintage Church Downtown started its first service at the Long View Center on July 6, 2014. This was after about a month of renovations.
Building Design and Architecture
The Long View Center has a mix of Gothic Revival and Romanesque architecture styles. When it was first built, it was a simple wooden structure. But it was updated many times in the early 1900s as the Moore Square area grew. The biggest update happened in 1910.
The facility is made up of four buildings. Together, they cover about 50,000 square feet (4,645 square meters). These buildings are called Freedoms Hall, 1880 Hall, North Carolina Hall, and Futures Hall.
Freedoms Hall is the original main church area. It is next to Exploris Middle School. Freedoms Hall has 64 stained glass windows, a bell tower, and a special room called a parlor. It also has great natural acoustics, which means sounds carry well. Most events at Long View happen in Freedoms Hall. The 1880 Hall is named after the year its dining hall was finished. It now holds an art gallery, a reception area, and is used for smaller performances. Futures Hall is an updated two-story office building. North Carolina Hall has a Conference Room and more office spaces.
Vintage Church Activities
Vintage Church uses the Long View Center for its main staff offices. It also houses the Vintage Church Downtown offices and spaces for their ministries. The building is also a popular place for concerts and other events. For example, it hosts parts of the Hopscotch Music Festival, the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival, and art shows for First Night and First Friday events.
