Wesley Temple AME Church - Akron, Ohio
N 41° 05.155 W 081° 30.606
17T E 457155 N 4548420
Building #94000243 - Wesley Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, 104 N Prospect St, Akron, Ohio
Waymark Code: WM7Y2J
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 12/21/2009
Views: 2
According to the nearby Ohio Historical Marker: “This church, founded in 1866, is the oldest Black congregation in Akron. After worshiping in several locations, the congregation held a fund-raiser to help finance the construction of a permanent home. The person collecting the most money had the privilege of renaming the church. That honor went to Mrs. Belle (Smith) Wesley. Completed in 1928, the current structure is a Neo-Classical Revival style building, featuring a classical pedimented portico, or porch, and four distinctive ionic columns. An education wing was added in 1963 by the late Rev. Dr. E. E. Morgan, Jr. Akron Black architects Herbert L. Wardner and John O. Somerville designed the church, and then a Black contractor, Samuel Plato, completed the structure. The church has long been a vital religious and social focal point for Akron's Black community. The local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was organized at Wesley Temple. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places 3/19/94.”
The front doors have entablatures above. The windows have stone lintels with keystones under the pediment. The four fluted ionic columns support a pediment with modillions and a cartouche with palm leaves and cornucopia. There is a belt course around the building which relates the pediment to the building. Brick quoins are found on the corners of the building.
The church’s website is: (
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