Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 2051 Main St., Hartford, Connecticut |
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| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1873 |
| Architect | Waters, E.H. |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000769 |
| Added to NRHP | July 22, 1994 |
The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is a very old and important church in Hartford, Connecticut. It is also known as the North Methodist Episcopal Church. This historic building is located at 2051 Main Street.
The church was built between 1873 and 1874. It was first used by a different church group. Since 1926, it has been the home of Hartford's oldest African-American church community. This community was formed way back in 1833. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. This means it is a special building that is important to American history.
Discovering the Church's Design and Past
The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is in the Clay-Arsenal neighborhood of Hartford. It stands on the west side of Main Street, just north of Mahl Avenue. It is a large building with three and a half stories. It is made of brick with stone decorations.
What Does the Church Look Like?
The front of the church faces the street with a big pointed roof section called a gable. There are two entrances, one at each end of the front. The entrance on the left has a tall tower with a bell area and a pointed top called a steeple. The windows have a special pointed arch shape, like those found in Gothic buildings. They are arranged in different groups and sizes. Light-colored stone pieces are above the windows. Stone bands also separate the different levels of the building.
A Journey Through Time: The Church's History
This church building was constructed in 1873-1874. It was originally for a mostly white Methodist Episcopal church group. That group moved to a new building in 1919. Then, a Jewish community bought the building and used it as a synagogue until 1926.
The current church community, the Metropolitan AME congregation, bought the building in 1926. Their roots go back to 1833. This makes them the oldest African-American congregation in Hartford. Before moving to this location, they had several other church homes. Their first church was on Elm Street. That building was later taken by the city to become part of Bushnell Park. They then built a new church on Pearl Street. A larger church was built on the same spot in 1898, which they used until they bought this current building.
