Coleraine Methodist Episcopal Church - Coleraine, Minnesota - Methodist Churches on Waymarking.com

"The Methodist Episcopal Church, 501 Cole Street, when the Methodist Episcopal Church was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, it was described by the state’s historic preservation sites surveyor as easily the largest and most impressive religious edifice on the Western Mesabi Iron Range.

The shingle-styled structure was erected in 1908-09 as a combination church and Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), which included a gymnasium, shower facilities, office, reading room and parlor. The town fathers felt the young people of the community should have an alternative to visiting the liquor establishments in nearby Bovey during their leisure time.

The foundation and walls of the superstructure were constructed of coursed fieldstone, gathered within a two-block radius of the building. Window openings of varying shapes and sizes pierce the stone walls. Most notable are the series of rectangular stained glass windows in the sanctuary, situated beneath the larger north/south gables. Large circular stained glass windows emphasize the shingled gables of the sanctuary.

Frank Young, a well-known and respected architect from Duluth, designed the building using the “Akron” plan, which utilizes increased seating capacity and consists of a sanctuary separated from adjoining rooms by removable partitions. In this case, partitions separate the sanctuary on the west half of the main floor from the three classrooms built beneath the choir loft on the east side. A pastor’s study is also in the east half.

The building is significant both as a major architectural expression of the single style in northern Minnesota and as a vital element of the planned community in Coleraine. Its cornerstone, laid in 1908, contains a capsule of artifacts collected from that period.

The church has had private owners since 1974." - text of marker

Active church?: No Year Built: 1908-1909 Website: [Web Link] Service times: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   06/16/2013 wildernessmama visited it