Laurel Street Methodist Church, A Brief History

 

Rare postcard view of "Laurel Street Methodist Church, Richmond, VA. J. W. Rowland, Pastor." The building behind the church is Pine Street Baptist Church, still extant. 

Richmond’s Laurel Street Methodist Church, 401 South Laurel Street (corner of Albemarle), had a long and distinguished history. Begun in 1849, it was the fifth Methodist Church to be founded in Richmond and served the Oregon Hill area on the east side of today’s Belvidere Street. The original name was the Oregon Methodist Episcopal Church, South. “Hill” was never a part of its name, and the M.E. Church, South evoked the split between northern and southern Methodists that had taken place in 1843.

Oregon Methodist Episcopal Church was joined on the block in 1855 by the newly-constituted Belvidere Hill Baptist Church - Belvidere being an older name for the area. The churches were on a street of only two blocks, but their presence gave rise to the name of Church Street. As the neighborhood grew, new and somewhat larger residences began to be constructed west of Belvidere Street. In the 1880s both churches followed the westward movement.

Laurel Street cornerstone program, June 22, 1880.

Oregon Church laid the cornerstone for its new home on Laurel Street in 1880 and occupied the basement in 1881. Albert L. West (1825-1892), dubbed the dean of Richmond architects, designed the new structure. Being a prominent Methodist layman, he was a natural choice for the job. He designed the almost-contemporaneous Park Place Methodist Episcopal Church at Franklin and Pine streets, the earlier Broad Street Methodist Church (Broad and Tenth street) and Trinity Methodist Church (Broad and Twentieth streets), as well as an extensive remodeling of Centenary Methodist Church, of which he was a member.

Original Laurel Street Methodist Church building.

It was 1887 before the new building was completed and consecrated in January of that year. It was an exciting period for the church, for in addition to finishing the new church, the Sunday school had become the largest Methodist Sunday school in the State, with a membership of nearly 750. A new mission Sunday school was begun the following year, a wing at the east end of the new church was completed in 1891, and in 1896 yet another mission Sunday school was begun.

Image of the church, 1949.

A completely new façade was added to the west front of Laurel Street Church in 1909-1910, and the following year, one of the most dynamic individuals ever to lead the church was appointed, Dr. Joseph M. Rowland (1880-1938).  Rowland’s tenure was only three years, yet it was a time of much enthusiasm. The postcard illustration pictures Dr. Rowland and the newly-remodeled church building.

Dr. Joseph M. Rowland (1880-1938) was appointed the head of Laurel Street Methodist Church in November, 1911 and remained for three years, until November, 1914.

Dr. Rowland made two trips to Europe and the Mediterranean area, one during his Laurel Street tenure. It was an eventful journey. The ship on which he travelled had a collision at sea with another ship, neither of which sank.  Aboard a train, he passed through Sarajevo, Bosnia, within hours of the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and World War I began. On his group’s return trip home, word was received via the “wireless” that a German submarine was awaiting them at the Azores. Their ship had to change course but could not notify anyone of the change. Word got out in Richmond that they had been taken prisoners of war.

Dr. Rowland survived the war.  Accounts of both of his trips were published in book form, as were three popular novels.  He moved on to other fields of service, including editor of the Richmond Christian Advocate (the Virginia Methodist news magazine) from 1921 to 1938, and two terms as president of the Southern Methodist Press Association. He met an untimely end in an auto accident in Richmond in 1938. The Sept. 1, 1938 issue of the Richmond Christian Advocate was devoted to his life and work. 

Laurel Street Church survived another 30 years, only to be destroyed by arsonists in January of 1968. The images above show the ruins of the church. 

Rather than rebuild the damaged structure, its people voted to merge with Grace Methodist Church in the far west end, to form an entirely new organization, St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church.  (All former Methodist churches became United Methodist churches at just about the time of the merger when the Methodist Church combined with the Evangelical United Brethren Church.)

- Donald Traser, Richmond author and historian.