The Washington herald., 1907-06-20
CHURCH OBTAINSSITE
ut. Vernon N. E. South Car
ries Through Big Deal.
WILL BUILD LARGE MEMORIAL
TrinugIe Bounded by Massachusetts
Avenue, Ninth and Il streets North
west, to Be Location of Magnif-
cent Structure for WOrship-Edifice
VIII Cost Two Hundred Thousand.

A real estate deal was completed yes
tcrday. whereby the Mount Vernon NJ, +.
Church South acquires title TO 1900
square feet of ground ln the triangle
bounded by Massachusetts avenue, Ninth
and X streets northwest on which will be
erected a large memorial church. esti-
mated to cost about 100000.
The ground was purchased OF several
owners at an aggregate cost OF $6loCc, or
about Sl7O a square foot
\ special committee. composed of Rev
E Y. Register. presiding elder Of the
Washington district; Rev. w. T. Locke
pastor Of tho church, A. 3. PUgh, ". ".
MILAN, W. /. Chambers, D. l. Coon,
Loverick Pierce, J. Everett Baird, Jchn
VI. Folin, and Clarendon Smith repre-
sen;ed the church in the transaction,
while the real estate firm Of Wescott &
Wilcox represented the owners. who were
the trustees Of Westminster College;
Catherine Z. Brumbaugh. T. Z. and
Charles Murray, Eliza Gardner. Elizabeth
( ID. Mawbry, and Lucia j. Clark
The site lies Just west Of the square oc-
eupied by the Public Library. Tie lot has
I a frontage Of $50 feet on Massachusetts
avenue aud l51 feet on X street The site
1 is regarded as an ideal one for a large
and commodious church building, such as
/ is proposed 20 be erected on IT, 10 is CEN
trally located and Of easy access over
any of the street car lines. Tie wide
parking on al sides viii add greatly 70 the
/ beauty and ajtr3ctiveless OF tEe location.
Imposing Architectural Design.
The Droposed church viii be of impos-
/ ing architectural design and viii be
equipped with modern appliances and IA
cnities for church and Sunday school
work Both the main auditorium and
the Sunday school room will 5e under
/ the same roof, but entirely separate and
distinct from each other. There VIII be
/ class-r0oms. readinE-ro0ms. library, par
/ lors. Offices. and other c0nvenicaces such
as belong 10 a large and strictly modern
city church.
While the plans in detail have not been
completed or even finally decided upon.
/ il is said that the main front Of the
church will be on Massachusetts, avenue,
and that there will be au entrance I'm the
nature OF a front entrance on X street.
/ The east line If the church building VIZ
I he about sixty feet west o. the line OF
Z the government reservation abuttns on
/ Ninth street Complete relief from the
noise OF the U et cars which has been
( the chief objection 10 the present church
| site, viii Doe thus afforded.
D
The movement for the erection Of q
large denOminatioual church iu Wash
/ ington, In which the entire membership
/ OF the Methodist Episcopal Church South
should participate, had its inception in a
/ series of resolutions adopted by the gen
! eraI conference Of the church, in Birmins-
/ ham. Ala, in May. 1896 acting upon a
/ memorial presented By the Baltimore
/ conference in that behalf The confer
/ ence gave its approval TO the plan and
/ proposed that II the Mount Vernon
/ Church would contribute the sum oi
/ S1Je90. the church al large would raise
/ $4,000 for the purpose. To carry out
/ the purpose Of the resolutions the con-
. ference appointed a general committee 20
work in conjunction with a local commit
tee Of the Washington church. This
/ general committee IS composed Of Bishop
/ W. A. Gambler. Of Atlanta, Ga; Bishop
. +. T. H0ss, Of N0nteagle, Tenn, and
f. Rev. ". F. McMurry, D. D., OF Louis
. vile. Ky.
Shortly after the adjournment Of the
I conference i'm Birmingham the quarterly
/ conference Of the Mount Vernon Church
. by formal resolution, accepted the propo-
sitloa made by the general conference
and appointed the committee named q
[ represent the church in all matters con-
nected with the enterprise.
\ joint meeting Of the two committees
was held in Washington last March, when
the site was decided upon and options
taken upon the property. The intervening
time, until yesterday has been consumed
by the local committee in acquiring title
TO the ground.
Parent Organization.
The Mount Vernon Church is the parent
organization of the denomination in
Washington. 1t was organized in 1850, the
/ first congregation being established on
Eighth street, between II and I streets
northwest, and was connected with the
Virginia conference Of the NJ. E. Church
South The church has had a continuous
existence, though in the time Of the civil
war Il met with vicisstudes which nearly
wiped it out. one Of its places of worship
was a small frame structure on = street
between Fourteenth and Fifteenth street;
northwest. The present church, at thl
/ corner Of Ninth and * streets northwest
was dedicated In June. 1869.
The Mount Vernon Church will continue
to worship IN its present building until
the new edidce is ready for occupancy
when the old house Of worship viii prob
ably be sold