Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-17
METHODIST Church
AWARDS CONTRACT
FOR NEW BUILDING
Metropolitan Memorial to Be
Constructed at Cost
of $4,000.
EDIFlCE WILL REPLACE
DOWNTOWN STRUCTURE
Ground to Be Broken in Univer.
sity Heights Within Next
Ten Days.

Contract for the new Metropolitan
Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church,
to be erected on a site facing American
University campus, at Nebraska and
New Mexico avenues, has been let to
Stoffeltt and Tillotson, engineers and
contractors of Philadelphia, and ground
is expected to be broken within 10 days.
This announcement was made today
by the pastor, DR.. James Shera Mont
gomery, who is chaplain Of the House
of Representatives. The corner stone of
the new church building will be laid
about December /, and the structure is
to be completed ready for occupancy by
next october. The contract is for
1910 900.
The old historic home Of the Metro
politan Memorial Church, which Is the
national church of Methodism, located
at John Marshall place and c street
northwest, has been purchased by the
Government as a site for the new
Municipal Center and will be vacated at
the end of this year by the congrega-
ton. The last service in the old church
home, DR.. Montgomery said, will be
held Sunday. December %, when great
celebration Is being planned. The next
Sunday, January 4, will find the con-
gregation worshipping in temporary
quarters in the chapel of Hurst Hall,
American University campus.
Congregations to Merge.
Transfer of the national Methodist
Church from its historic old home in
downtown Washington to University
Heights also will be accompanied by a
merger of the CONGREGATION with the
University Heights Methodist Episcopal
Church, now worshipping in the Com
munity House at Wesley Heights.
DR.. Montgomery is to be the pastor
Of the merged church, and the first
service of the combined congregations
viii take place the first Sunday in
January.
In the meantime the University
Heights Church continues to worship
in its community chapel. The previous
pastor, Rev. Philip Edwards has re-
signed to take a position with the
president of Ohio Wesleyan University,
and the pastorate of the University
Heights Church is being filled in the
interim before the merger, by DR..
Howard Downs.
Thus the Metropolitan Memorial
Methodist Church has taken three
distinct and separate actions. 1t ap-
proved q merger with the University
Heights Church, it definitely decided
to vacate the old church home on the
first of the year and it approved the
pastorate of DR.. Montgomery for the
merged church.
Ten Bids Submitted.
For construction of the magnificent
new modern gothic structure which is
TO rise in the prominent site located
between American University, Wesley
Heights and the large estate of Charles
c. Glover, 10 bids were submitted.
The FIRST building to go up will be
only one of several which are to be
erected. This first building Is the
church proper, or to be known as the
sanctuary, plans for which have previ-
ously been made public. The plans
were prepared by the Board of Archi-
lecture of the Methodist Church at
Philadelphia. The other structures to
go up later on the site viii be COM
munity houses.
After the old church home at John
Marshall place and c streets is vacated
it Is to be used temporarily by the
Government before being torn down as
branch of the City Library
The national scope of the church is
indicated by its full name which is
Metropolitan Memorial, The National
Methodist Episcopal Church.