Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church Bell Tower - Jacksonville, FL
N 30° 19.863 W 081° 39.234
17R E 437142 N 3355650
The historic Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church is located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. The church is of the Romanesque Revival style and has a bell tower.
Waymark Code: WM9XVF
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 10/12/2010
Views: 2
From
Wikipedia:
The Mount Zion AME Church is a historic church in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is located at 201 East Beaver Street. On December 30, 1992, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
From the Florida Division of Historical Resources:
Jacksonville MOUNT ZION A.M.E. CHURCH 201 E. Beaver St. 1905. Romanesque Revival. 1905. J.B. Carr, architect. 2 stories. Brick, with arched windows and bell towers. One of 7 churches built in downtown Jacksonville between 1901 and 1910. The church was placed on the Florida Black Heritage Trail in 1992. Private. N.R. 1992. [Note: the cornerstone was laid in 1902 and a Jacksonville historic plaque on the building lists the building's date as 1902.]
From the Jacksonville Historical Society:
ARCHITECTS: J. B. Carr & Co. - Birmingham; Francis J. Norton - Jacksonville & Chicago. BUILDER: Unknown.
After the Civil War, several dozen Freedmen organized a "Society" for the purpose of religious worship. On July 28, 1866, this group became formally recognized as Mount Zion A.M.E. Church. The church acquired the property at the northeast corner of Beaver and Newnan Streets, and a small frame structure was built for worship services on that site. In 1870 a large wooden church was built, and twenty years later an even larger brick sanctuary, with a seating capacity of nearly 1,500, was built at this location. Within four months after the Great Fire of 1901 destroyed that building, plans for the present church were under way. According to a September, 1901 newspaper report, the Romanesque Revival style structure was estimated to cost $18,000. Architectural details such as arched window and door openings, art-glass windows, a bell tower, contrasting brick quoins, and a crenelated parapet contribute to its handsome design.