St. Mark's Episcopal Church - Medford, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 42° 19.513 W 122° 52.732
10T E 509981 N 4685892
English Cottage style church built in 1916
Waymark Code: WMG0M8
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 12/29/2012
Views: 2
St. Mark's is an English Cottage style building built beginning in 1916. A major addition in 1942, created in the spirit of the original building, added two recreation halls and extended the original structure to the west.
According to the St. Mark's website: "The first Episcopal Church in Medford was erected in 1889 on the northwest corner of West Main and Holly Streets. It was a small frame building that stood under a large oak tree and had a board walk leading up to its door. Mr. C.C. Beekman, the Jacksonville banker, donated the lot on which the church was built. It cost about $350 and served southern Oregonians for about 20 years.
In 1909 the Episcopal Church decided to build a building on West Main Street. Vestry notes record the decision to build “a handsome gray granite edifice,” the purpose of which was to serve as an investment and as a church. The original church was later sold to the Presbyterians for use as a Sunday School room.
The new building was ready for occupancy in 1910 and St. Mark’s became incorporated on September 15, 1911. Services were held on the second floor of the new building, which had an altar at the end of the hall. These were hard times and the altar at the end of the hall was often shut off and the hall rented out for dances or anything that would bring in money for the struggling parish. The Masonic Lodge bought St. Mark’s hall in the spring of 1920 for $25,271. The Lodge granted permission to St. Mark’s to use the hall and dining room for meetings.
In 1913, a full time rector was assigned to St. Mark’s. Needing more appropriate church quarters, it was decided to build a church on the adjoining lot, behind the big granite edifice. The foundation of the church was laid but the project was abandoned when the opportunity to acquire a better site was presented to the Bishop’s Committee (forerunner of the Vestry). On September 21, 1920, the lot and foundation were sold to the power company for $2,874.
The preferred site for the new St. Mark’s Church was located on the southeast corner of North Oakdale and Fifth Streets. St. Mark’s Church was erected at a cost of approximately $5,000 and the first service was held on December 17, 1916."
In recent years, the church also acquired the adjacent Edgar Hafer House (formerly Perl Funeral Home), which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hafer House serves as the main office for the church.
