1919 Decatur

In about 1897 the Third Baptist Church relocated its place of worship from the NE corner of Washington and Sellers to the SE corner of Decatur and White.  A few years later the congregation changed the name to Tabernacle Baptist Church.  The current neo-Gothic church building with a raised basement was built in 1929 to replace the earlier 1890's wood-frame church that was too small to serve a growing congregation.  The high-pitched stained glass windows give the church a Gothic Revival look.  Several of the stained glass windows were donated by Sixth Ward families. The original belfry was relocated to the property behind it, at 1920 Kane, where it was retrofitted as a bathroom.

In 1979 Metropolitan Community Church bought the building, which continued to function as a church until 2000, when it was repurposed as office space for an architectural design firm and other businesses.

In 2004 Kathleen English, Charlotte Rothwell, Walter L. Visinsky Sr. and William C. Visinsky received a Good Brick Award for the restoration and adaptation of 1919 Decatur St., the former Tabernacle Baptist Church.

For additional historical details click here.