The African Methodist Episcopal Church is entrenched with a rich history. The A.M.E. church was originally organized to end the discrimination against African Americans who attended white Methodist churches in the United States. The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal church was created in the 1870s and represents the merging of two A.M.E. congregations, Israel Bethel (1821) and UnionBethel (1838) a stop on the Underground Railroad. Architect Samuel T. Morsell designed the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The construction of the church began in 18811886. The church has a gothic façade and this style carries throughout the overall design of the church. The church is constructed from brick and stone. The church also features stained glass windows in woodenframes. The seating capacity of the church is 3,000 people. According to the church, it is the oldest continuously black-owned property in the original 10-mile-square parcel of land in the District of Columbia.
The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal church has hosted many historically famous African Americans. Among the most notable are Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks. Frederick Douglass spoke in the pulpit ofthe church on January 9 th, 1894, and delivered his speech entitled “The Lessons of the Hour.” This was his last speech at the church and he laterdied on February 20 th, 1895. Fredrick Douglass’ funeral service washeld at the church. Today, there is a plaque on the pew in which he sat that states, “We claim to be a Christian country and a highly civilized nation.Yet I fearlessly affirm that there is nothing in the history of savages to surpass the blood-chilling horrors and fiendish excesses perpetrated against the colored people by the so-called enlightened and Christian people of the South." Also, part of Rosa Park’s funeral service took place at the church in 2005.
The A.M.E. church was made a national historic landmark by the U.S. National Historic Landmarks Program on July 26 th, 1973. Since then the church’s condition has been neglected. The church was placed on the United States Top eleven most endangered national historical landmarks list. The Water damage has caused roofs to fall and walls to crack. Beginning in May 2010, a project was created toraise the $11 million to cover the costs of repair. The building is now under renovations.
Final Drawings produced by 3d Rhino Model
