Block
The nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
(Oct. 1990) FEB 1 5 1994 architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative iters on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1. Name of Property Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church 2. Location N/ A - not for publication street & number _104 N. Prospect Street - vicinity city or town - - code _ code 153 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination In my opinion, the property meets - does not meet the National Register criteria. (C] See continuation sheet for additional Signature of certifying official/Title 4. National Park Service Certification - See continuation sheet.
- determined not eligible for the - other. (explain:) SUM-243-13 comments.) Date Akron National Register NATIONAL state historic name Registration Form Ohio Register. RECEIVED National Park Service United States Department of the Interior other names/site number 2-7-94 zip code 44304 Date of Action National Register of Historic Places entered in the National Register. removed from the National State of Federal agency and bureau NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-0018 -request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Xmeets does not meet the National Register criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant nationally - statewide X locally.
( See continuation sheet for additional comments.) 1 hereby/certify that the property is: county _ Summit 243 Entered in the This form is for use in nominating orrequesting determinations for individual properties and districts. Sea jnstructionsin How to Complete the Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. in my opinion, the property Summit Co., Ohio 5. Classification X building(s) - public-local - district - public-State - site - public-Federal - structure - object - Total 6. Function or Use RELIGION/ religious structure 7.
Description foundation brick walls _ other _ private Noncontributing glass brick Narrative Description Historic Functions synthetic Architectural Classification steel Current Functions Materials roof Classical Revival Number of contributing resources previously listed County and State (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Ownership of Property Name of Property Category of Property Number of Resources within Property Name of related multiple property listing Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church (Check only one box) (Enter categories from instructions) in the National Register (Check as many boxes as apply) (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) NPB Form 10-000- National Park Service FEB 1 5 1994 Sectlon number - fixtures, and pipe organ.
materials, but is distinguishable from the earlier building by a slightly lighter color In all other respects, the church remains essentially as built, exhibiting a high state of architectural integrity. sills. prominent coved crown moldings, a balcony facing the altar, and original pews, lighting Continuation Sheet almost entirely original, with classical door surrounds, six-panel doors, fluted pilasters, Page The Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church is a Neo-Classical Revival style building, RECEIVED A classical pedimented portico, with a broad cornice, modillions, and a large NATIONAL corners of the building are distinguished by brick quoins and small octagonal windows National Register of Historic Places capped with stone. and the deteriorated portico columns were replaced with exact copies of the originals.
doorways are flanked by two small rectangular windows with stone lintels and brick with brick and stone trim.A simple stone cornice is surmounted by a brick parapet United States Department of the Interior The only major alteration to the church was the construction of an addition to REGISTER Completed in 1928, the church is rectangular in plan and rests on a raised brick The lower sanctuary, in the basement, is arranged on a modified Akron Plan, with door was converted to a window, without affecting the classical surround and entablature, OM& Approval Na 1024-0018 The located adjacent to a public park north of Akron's downtown commercial district. stained glass windows on the side facades have brick sills and stone keystones.The Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church, Summit Co., Ohio Portage Co..
Ohio Name of Property - C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and -D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) XA owned by a religious institution or used for - B removed from its original location. - C a birthplace or grave. - D a cemetery. - E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. - F a commemorative property. within the past 50 years. Wardner, Herbert L. Sommerville, John O.
- preliminary determination of individual listing (36 & State Historic Preservation Office - Other State agency -previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency -previously determined eligible by the National - Local government - University - designated a National Historic Landmark - Other -recordedby Historic American Buildings Survey -recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # 1928-1943 Bibilography Register Criteria Considerations individual distinction. Significant Person Property is: Significant Dates Period of Significance Cultural Affiliation Narrative Statement of Significance Applicable National Register Criteria 9. Major Bibliographical References County and State (Enter categories from instructions) Ethnic Heritage/Black A Property is associated with events that have made Primary location of additional data: religious purposes.
B Property is associated with the lives of persons our history. for National Register listing.) Areas of Significance significant in our past. 8. Statement of Significance information important in prehistory or history. Name of repository: a significant contribution to the broad patterns of Architect/Builder Previous documentation on file (NPS): distinguishable entity whose components lack CFR 67) has been requested G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) Portage Co., Ohio - See continuation sheet 11. Form Prepared By - date - April 8, 1993 city or town _ - state - Submit the following items with the completed form: A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. street & number _ 104 N.
Prospect Street instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect name Easting Zone Maps Continuation Sheets Akron Photographs Verbal Boundary Description Additional items Northing County and State Boundary Justification Property Owner Additional Documentation Representative black and white photographs of the property. Estimated Burden Statement:Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including time for reviewing 10. Geographical Data (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Name of Property Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet.) this item at the request of SHPO or FPO.) TM Reference (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) Jeffrey D.
Brown/Regional Coordinator organization - - zip code44702-1231 - telephone216-434-5800 - zip code44304 a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.). Acreage of Property - less than one acre (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Projects (10240018), Washington, DC 20503. acre Canton Ohio name/title Ohio Historic Preservation Office Paperwork Reduction Act Statement:This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate A Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources.
of this form to the Chief.Administrative Services Division,National Park Service,P.O.Box 37127,Washington,DC 20013-7127:and the Office of NPS Form 10-000-+ United States Department of the Interlor National Park Service Section number _ 8 Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church, Summit Co., Ohio Criterion A, for its association with African-American history in prevented from living in the "better" residential sections, and most blacks were employed in menial capacities, regardless and systematic racial discrimination.
Continuation Sheet cultural institutions, maintaining and perpetuating black nevertheless continued to be conscious of their particular needs as institutions providing an educational setting for families and families and African-American culture in the face of prolonged were critically important for helping preserve family unity and National Register of Historlc Places in a society which had not absorbed them, nor considered them as The Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church is significant, under influx of southern blacks;the city's black population increased church was one of the strongest black wasn't until l92l that the University of Akron produced its first congregations were founded in the l880s.
black churches played primary roles as educational, decade preceding the Civil War, but the l860 census still showed black population increased 278 byl880) several other black 1900 Akron's population of 42,728 included 525 Akron was founded in 1825,and had few black inhabitants in OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 its early years. city's first black congregation, A.M.E. Zion Church, in 1866, as "Although the black population remained small, blacks industry led to a tripling of Akron's population, including an eight-fold, from 657 to 5,580. forced to attend black colleges such as Wilberforce, and it limited educational and economic opportunities. Meetings were Page The Blacks were This growth also brought The black population began to grow in the held in private homes and halls until a lot was purchased and a only 24 black residents.
spiritual aswell as some social and educational needs black organizations,as well as lecture halls for orators.The black graduate, Emmer Lancaster member of A.M.E.Zion). Black churches in the late l9th and early 20th centuries small building erected on S.High Street in 1882.As Akron's OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interlor Wesley Temple A.M.E.
Zion Church, Summit Co., Ohio stores, conducted an employment bureau, operated a laundry and a Garrett, Jr., the first appointed black Congressional page, who President Rockefeller; and Shelton Lee, Jr., the first black blacks were the first to be laid off and the last hired, and 20% churches, speakers, and organizations maintained their supportive Continuation Sheet National Register of Historic Places continued to face the unenviable task of motivating their location for feeding unemployed blacks throughout the Depression. the first black Akron School Board Rev.Dr.Eugene the congregation included George Mathews, Akron's first black According to the Federal Relief Administration in McClain) blacks were hit harder than any other group in the city.
meeting place for other black organizations and as a lecture hall rooming house, and eventually became sole proprietor of the only organized at the A.M.E. Zion Church, and its first president was hotel owner; the first black city council Davis; the dedication of the newly completed the Wesley A.M.E.Zion, along with other black churches, continued to "colored" drug store in Akron at that Globe Drug Store. From the days before the Civil War, when churches were the County Colored Democratic Club in l928,and served as a local drawing of plans in hiring of a black appointee to the U.S. Naval Academy). National Park Service Upperman, wife of A.M.E. Zion's Rev.L.N. Upperman - Mrs.
Section number _ continued to serve not only as a place of worship, but also as a of the city's black population was on relief, although they appointed as an attorney-general by President Carter; Thaddeus Page instrumental in helping black families and in providing for black orators. (More recent prominent members include Judge James R.Williams, role of aiding black families in meeting that challenge." was designated as Special Assistant for Urban Affairs by Vice- As the Depression deepened in the l930s, The need for a larger building led to the president of the NAACP.The local chapter of the NAACP was grow in the 1920s.T NPS Form 10-00-8 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church, Summit Co., Ohio present time, the church has been the single most important culture, particularly in social organizations and the churches.
social outlets, implementing activities that strengthened family singing, readings, speeches, dinners, meetings, and other events. responsibilities, partially reflected in the fact that many of Continuation Sheet National Register significance. of Akron's African-American community. Rather than endure discrimination and prejudice at the hands of tradition of self-help and unity in the face of pervasive the second oldest Black denomination in the United States. black churches in fulfilling these various roles and to the growth of black consciousness and A.M.E.Zion Church is the second largest Black Methodist body in the United States. United States Department of the Interlor Churches served dual roles, as both religious institutions and The period of significance extends from 1928,when the Wesley Temple A.M.E.
Zion Church, representing the oldest black the John Street Methodist Episcopal Church, black leaders National Register of Historic Places only organized social outlet available to the National Park Service been members of this church;it is significant as a leading Sectlon number Page Page _ 3 political, economic, and social - under which black Americans congregation in Akron, has always been prominent among the city's Akron's most distinguished and successful African-Americans have The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is church building was 1943,the fifty-year cutoff for OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interlor Continuation Sheet Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church, Summit Co., Ohio McClain, Shirla R. The Contributions of Blacks in Akron: 1825-1975. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Akron, 1975. Zion Church, 1991.
Bibliography Anon. Page National Park Service National Register of Hlstorlc Places Section number 9 (8-86) Homecoming Anniversary: 125 Years. Wesley Temple A.M.E. NPS Form 10-0004 OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior Section number 10 Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church, Summit Co., Boundary is based upon legally recorded lot description, and includes the Ohio National Register of Historic Places Boundary Justification Verbal Boundary Description Page Continuation Sheet National Park Service property historically associated with the nominated building. Lot 7,Akron Plat Book #34 of allotment made for Charles Rawson) (6-66) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET NOMINATOR: STATE N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: V ACCEPT RECOM.
/ CRITERIA DISCIPLINE REVIEWER REJECT RETURN DATE 2/15/94 4/01/94 National Register OTHER: NAME: 3/17/94 Entered in the DATE RECEIVED: MULTIPLE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF 45TH DAY: DATE OF PENDING LIST: SLR DRAFT: N DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N COMMENT WAIVER: N ABSTRACT/SUMMARY COMMENTS: PROPERTY 3/01/94 NATIONAL: REASONS FOR REVIEW: Wesley Temple AME Church STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION _current _descriptive text Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION/PRESENTATION _photographs FUNCTION DESCRIPTION OTHER CLASSIFICATION acreage SIGNIFICANCE presentation clarity count context materials BIBLIOGRAPHY completeness historic architectural classification Signed Builder/Architect Period Date boundary justification justification of exception applicable criteria sketch maps verbal boundary description Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Phone summary paragraph relationship of integrity to significance relating significance to the resource Specific dates resource type UTMS Areas of Significance--Check and justify below USGS maps justification of areas checked OTHER COMMENTS Negative at O.H.P.O.
(NE RCO) Phato by J.D. Brown, 3-1993 Photo #1. Negative at O.H.P.O. (NE RCO) Photo by V.D. Brown, 3-1993 the rear. Negative at OHPO. CNE Rco) DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AKRON WEST, OHIO UNITED STATES AKRON WEST QUADRANGLE OHIO_SUMMIT CO 7.5 MINUTE SERIES (TOPOGRAPHIC) | Ohio Historic Preservation Office Ohio Historical Center 1982 Velma Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43211-2497 FEB 1 5 1994 Fax: 297-2546 February 8, 1994 Carol Shull, Chief of Registration SINCE 1885 P. O. Box 37127 Washington, DC 20013-7127 have been followed for these new submissions. NEW SUBMISSION St. Clairsville Historic District Warsaw Hotel Stoddart Block Ourant's School John and Carrie Yager House Ohio SR51 Bridge Over the LWesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church If you have questions or comments about these documents, contact this office. W.
Ray Luce State Historic Preservation Officer COUNTY 614/297-2470 Harrison Coshocton Ottawa Summit Cuyahoga SOCIETY enclosures Sincerely, Delaware Butler HISTORICAL Belmont Lake Franklin REGISTER Viall Lodge Hughes Manor RECEIVED Portage River National Park Service Enclosed please find eleven (ll) new National Register nominations.All appropriate notification procedures Crist Tavern Annex Globe Iron Works Building Dear Ms. Shull: NATIONAL National Register of Historic Places OHIO