Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church | museum, historic landmark

 church, museum, historic landmark

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The cornerstone of the Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church was laid September 21, 1897. The church opened for services on April 17 the following year. Designed in the Carpenter Gothic and Queen Anne styles, the floor plan follows the Methodist tradition of non-axial plans. This plan, with the entrance in one corner and the pulpit in the opposite, is known as the Akron style, having originated in Akron, Ohio.

In 1898, the church was surrounded by orange groves and soon became the focal point of a new community. In the late 1960's the congregation had grown exponentially. After merging with another Methodist congregation, the church became the Lincoln Avenue Methodist Social Service Center, a community center for church functions and classes. In 1979 the church, in disrepair, was purchased by the United States Postal Service.

In 1981, with no alternative but demolition, the church was cut into six pieces and moved to the museum from its original site on the southeast corner of Orange Grove Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue in Pasadena. The beautifully ornate stained glass windows were unfortunately sold before the church came to Heritage Square. Current efforts to replicate the original window design are underway.

www.heritagesquare.org/LAM_Church.htm