34 - First United Methodist Church - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Historic United Methodist Sites on Waymarking.com

First United Methodist Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. United Methodist Historic Site No. 34.

From the church website:

The coming of the railroad to Albuquerque in 1879 changed the picture for Protestant work in New Mexico. On November 1, 1879, the Reverend N. Hewett Gale was sent to Albuquerque to start a Methodist congregation. On April 18, 1880, in the Bernalillo County Courthouse in Old Albuquerque Gale, along with five charter members and Reverend Harwood, now the Superintendent of Missions and Presiding Elder of the District, officially organized the First Methodist Episcopal Church. Early services were in Old Town. Mrs. Alice Rutherford Oestreich, the first child to be baptized when the church was built in 1880, recalled to me in 1962 that her parents moved to Albuquerque in 1880, and were quite disconcerted to discover that the only services for Methodists were held in a saloon in Old Town with those attending seated on nail kegs. Reverend Gale and a Congregational minister, Reverend J.M. Ashley, then arranged for a room to be used jointly by their members at a shared expense. In 1880, during Reverend Gale’s pastorate, construction was begun on a small adobe chapel (34 by 54 feet), that was erected at Third Street and Lead Avenue, where the present stone church now stands. Construction of the original adobe structure was completed in 1881, but was not dedicated until September 27, 1885. “The delay was due to the established policy of Methodist Churches of not dedicating a building for worship until the building is free of the original debt.” Albuquerque Journal, November 5, 1955. Church membership increased rapidly. As the congregation grew it became apparent that the original church building was no longer adequate to accommodate the congregation. In 1904, the original little adobe church was torn down to make room for the current structure that occupies the northeast corner of the property. On January 8, 1905, this larger stone church, which still stands at Third and Lead, was dedicated. Since construction of another new sanctuary in 1955, which occupies the west side of the block, the 1905 structure has continued to serve as an all purpose room called Fellowship Hall. The windows are a special treasure, reportedly designed by a master student of Louis Tiffany. The window inside the archives room is unique. It was given by members of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic, whose symbols are shown in the panels. The window also reflects the Methodist Church in America that was divided preceding the Civil War into a Northern and a Southern branch over the issue of slavery. First Methodist Church was established by members of the Northern Methodist Episcopal Church. The churches united again in 1939 and the word, Episcopal, was dropped from the name that year.

The Sanctuary
Ground was broken on Sunday, October 10, 1954 for the majestic cruciform sanctuary on the west side of the block. Still known as the “new church,” this awe-inspiring house of worship was dedicated November 6, 1955. Constructed in the shape of the cross, the Spanish Colonial Revival style sanctuary is reflective of our unique southwestern cultures, incorporating features such as the red clay tile roof and turquoise colored designs on the massive ceiling beams. The more traditional architecture of the Education Building shares some elements of the same south-western style. Such as numerous arched doorways and red clay tile roof.

Type of marker: Numbered UMC Historic Site #: 34 Your link to the UMC page where your waymark is cited.: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please provide a picture and details of your visit.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   09/21/2011 Queens Blessing visited it 09/21/2011 ornith visited it 07/07/2011 tugies visited it 10/06/2010 kameniev visited it

View all visits/logs