3000-3024 24th Street
Second German Methodist Episcopal Church, 24th Street Methodist Church, Zion Chapel Church of Christ Holiness USA
3000-3024 24th Street, the Second German Methodist Episcopal Church, was designed by Wells D. Butterfield and constructed in 1898.
Butterfield was born in Algonac and designed dozens of churches, schools, and homes in Metro Detroit. He was the architect for Highland Park High School—one of the finest in the state.
Second German Methodist Episcopal was organized in 1858 and would become, for a time, the largest congregation of its kind. The total cost to build the church was $18,000, or $625K in 2022. The Detroit Free Press reported that the structure was "…a fitting home for the most prosperous of the three German Methodist Episcopal congregations in the city." A parsonage was constructed, too.
In 1902, the congregation held an event to burn the mortgage. After just four years, they paid off the $6,059 debt for the construction of the church.
Around 1918, the Second German Methodist Episcopal Church was shortened to the 24th Street Methodist Church.
In 1933, the congregation celebrated its 75th anniversary. Pastors and congregation members, old and new, visited the church.
Around 1936, the church sold a property they owned at 3977 Livernois to St. Michael's Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church. They used the funds to remodel and add to the sanctuary. The work completed enlarged the structure by 12 feet and added a choir loft, an organ from the German-owned Hinners Organ Company, a new pastor's study, restrooms, heating infrastructure, and more. Additionally, the woodwork on the interior of the church was refinished, and the altar was replaced. Work was completed in 1936 and, according to the Detroit Free Press, cost more than $12,000, or $250,000 in 2022.
In 1957, 24th Street Methodist Church sold the structure and two nearby homes to Zion Chapel Church of Christ Holiness USA for $60,000, or $636,000 in 2022. The congregation was located at 3816 W. Warren before relocating and formed in July 1930
Since purchasing the small campus, the non-denominational congregation has occupied and maintained the property. They are an active part of the community—offering teen and kids church services, operating coat drives in the cooler months, and other events.
I've admired this church for years but never taken the time to research it properly. It's in great shape for nearly 150 years old, and having a stable congregation for the past 65 years plays a role in that.
