Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church

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The Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church is a congregation that is not only dedicated to its community, but to the restructuring of its core beliefs in order to be a more open and welcoming place. With roots extending back to the mid-1800s, Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church had a tumultuous beginning, as it sprung out of the divisions over slavery within the Methodist movement.

Eventually, after an evolution of theological beliefs, the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church would split from the denomination of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Reformation efforts to build a “representative church” started soon after the congregation’s establishment when the building was designed by Sauguinet & Staats and constructed in 1917. It was the first church to create a department for social welfare and open its doors to many individuals who were struggling during the Great Depression. Later, the congregation would be wholly impacted by the social unrest of the 1960s, during which the congregation’s numbers would dwindle. The congregation was then required to sell a large portion of the building, and completely vacate by 2005, before returning to the building once again in 2008.

Continuing with their mission, the congregation still strives to welcome all through its doors. In more recent years, the congregation became a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network in 2009, and repented for its long-standing roots in white supremacy in 2017, one hundred years after the church was established.

The Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church illustrates a combination of Greek Revival (1825-1860), Neoclassical (1895-1955) and Beaux Arts (1885-1930) styles. Most notable is its Neoclassical features, specifically its marble portico, supported by Doric columns, and staircase.

DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)