Polk Street United Methodist Church - Amarillo, TX
N 35° 11.944 W 101° 50.310
14S E 241575 N 3898811
Polk Street United Methodist Church is at 1401 S Polk St, Amarillo, TX, and its bell tower is not doing today what it once did.
Waymark Code: WMZ718
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/21/2018
Views: 3
A 2013 Texas Historical Marker provides some history of this church, a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark:
The congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South was organized on November 23, 1888, by Rev. Isaac Mills, Rev. Jerome Haralson and eight members. The church held title to Parker's Chapel, the first church building constructed in Amarillo in 1889. The building initially housed several denominations that later organized and moved into their own buildings. The Methodist congregation grew significantly and, less than ten years later, it was clear that a much larger building was needed.
In 1899, Rev. J.A. Whitehurst arrived in Amarillo and deeded a lot on Polk Street to the congregation. A Gothic Revival white-frame church was constructed by W.J. Beck in 1902. Known as the "white church," it served the congregation for five years before it was moved across the street to make room for construction of a new, two-story Romanesque Revival style brick church. In 1908, the church changed its name to Polk Street Methodist Church. As attendance grew to over 2,000, the church outgrew its third campus.
The Reuben Harrison Hunt Company designed this Gothic Revival brick structure on Polk Street six blocks south of the previous church. The new building opened in 1928 with additions in 1953 and 2012. Details include pointed arched openings, parapeted gables with limestone coping, lancets, pinnacles and pedimented buttresses. Built with Tudor details, including stained glass windows, the church is designed to be more than a house of worship. Theological education classes are held in the building's many classrooms and community organizations utilize the large meeting halls. This beautiful, historic landmark was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
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"Time to Chime," a 2010 article in the Amarillo Globe-Times covers how some of Amarillo's largest churches keep up with the times, noting that First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, and this church have coordinated their bell ringing so that none of them ring at the same time. The article also reveals that everything is done electronically here, and while it's difficult to get close to the tower, it sure looks like there are no bells to be found there today.
If "Time to Chime" should be taken offline, a copy is available from me upon request.