800 W Fifth Street [NR], First Methodist Episcopal Church South/First Methodist Church/First United Methodist Church, 1929-30. Ground was broken for the construction of First Methodist Church on October 29, 1929. Designed by Wiley G. Clarkson, the church is a fine example of the Gothic Revival, a perennially popular style for ecclesiastical work in America. Harry B. Friedman was the contractor for the project. While the church was under construction, members met in the adjacent Wesley Hall. On October 30, 1930, the congregation symbolically closed and locked the doors of the old church at Seventh and Taylor streets and walked to this new structure. Formal dedication services were held on June 14, 1931.
The complex consists of a cathedralesque church connected by a courtyard to administrative, educational, and fellowship buildings. The church itself is modeled after Notre Dame in Paris with a triple portal entry, a blind marbled arcade, tall lancet windows, and asymmetrical bell towers with Gothic terra cotta tracery. The cloistered courtyard, which was originally used for summer services before the church was air conditioned, was relandscaped in 1956 as the Garth Garden and contains plantings and statuary suitable for the church’s Gothic design.
Various harmonious additions and supplementary buildings (including Epworth Hall, 1954-55 and the Armstrong Children’s Wing, 1969-70) have been added to the church complex over the years. The facility is well maintained and landscaped. First United Methodist Church appears to be eligible for the National Register on the basis of its architectural merits.