Rare view of Seventh Street Christian Church, Seventh and Grace Streets, Richmond, Virginia, ca. 1870s

 

I found this rare stereoview image of the Seventh Street Christian Church building on eBay a few weeks ago. I had no idea what church it was so I asked the members of the "Old Images of Richmond" Facebook group. Donald R. Traser, a local historian and author, answered my question. Donald, who has published The Organ in Richmond. A History of the Organs, Organists, and Organ Music in Richmond, Virginia, from 1816 to 2001 and Virginia Railway Depots, knows the history of Richmond churches quite well. Here is his response to my question:  

"The church in the picture is the Seventh Street Christian Church, which faced Grace Street at the corner of 7th. Constructed in the 1870s and demolished in the late 1940s. The architect was Samuel Sloan of Philadelphia. For the organ enthusiasts, it had a Hook & Hastings organ originally, replaced by an Austin organ in the 1920s. The Austin moved to the new building on Grove Avenue and was replaced by the current Schantz organ." - Donald R. Traser, October, 2022.  Thanks again Donald. 

The church is still active and I found more of the church's history on its website. They write: "Seventh Street Christian Church has a long rich history in Richmond. It began as Sycamore Christian Church in the 1930’s, [I think they mean the 1830s] as a direct result of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) founders, Thomas and Alexander Campbell’s. Eventually, the congregation raised money to purchase land and build a church at Seventh and Grace streets. Officially in the new church on July 14, 1872, the congregation changed its name to Seventh Street Christian Church and worshiped there until September 29, 1946. Church growth forced them to build and relocate to the current location at Malvern & Grove where we’ve been since September 1950.

In 2002, Hanover Avenue Christian Church, which was located at Hanover and Allen Ave., closed its doors and merged with Seventh Street Christian Church. Established in 1913, Hanover Avenue Christian Church was a merger of Marshall Street Christian Church and Allen Avenue Christian Church, both outgrowths of Seventh Street Christian Church." - from their church history available HERE.

I found this very detailed article - see below - using Chronicling America. This article is from The Daily State Journal, published on September 2, 1871. Note that the name of the church was originally "Sycamore Church." 

Samuel Sloan, the building's designer, was a major American 19th-century architect - read his detailed Wikipedia entry HERE. According to The Virginia Architects, 1835-1955 by Wells and Dalton (1997) his other Virginia commissions were the Leigh Street Baptist Church built in Richmond, 1853-1857, and a Baptist Church built in 1857 in Warrenton, Virginia. The Seventh Street Christian Church building is not listed in Wells and Dalton. So this is a major find - thanks again Donald Traser.

More details on the history of the church are in the newspaper article below published in the Daily State Journal, May 2, 1873:

Lastly, here is the reverse side of the stereo of the image of the church. It does not list the church building among the views its sells. I think this is a very rare stereoview - I certainly have never seen it before. eBay is full of gems like this. 

- Ray