Coconut Grove WH Center in Coral Gables in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

St. Mary First Missionary Baptist Church

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 24, 2018

1. St. Mary First Missionary Baptist Church Marker

Inscription. St. Mary First Missionary Baptist Church was the first African American church in Coral Gables. The church was founded on March 9, 1924, and its congregation of seventeen members first met in an old school house on Thomas Avenue in the MacFarlane Homestead Subdivision. This district contains one of the few remaining concentrations of buildings that reflect the city’s African American heritage. In 1926, the congregation built a permanent house of worship on the present location, but it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1926. Another wooden sanctuary was built under the leadership of the Rev. C.H. Williams. In 1938, the Rev. W.F. Tanner began a long association with the church. Upon his arrival, the church had only 162 members; by 1948, under his pastorship, the congregation had grown to over 1,500 members. Rev. Tanner began an ambitious building program for the church, and in 1958 he completed this masonry building. The congregation wanted the new church to be similar in design to the previous church. To that end, architect J. Frank Bradley designed the two-story church with a tower at the same location as in the earlier building.

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Rev. Tanner served as pastor of the church for 41 years until his death in 1979.

Erected 2013 by The City of Coral Gables and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-803.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical date for this entry is March 9, 1924.

Location. 25° 43.721′ N, 80° 15.425′ W. Marker is in Coral Gables, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. It is in Coconut Grove WH Center. It is on Frow Avenue east of Jefferson Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 136 Frow Avenue, Miami FL 33133, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida,

on the Gold Coast,

and in Greater Miami.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 24, 2018

2. St. Mary First Missionary Baptist Church Marker

the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: George Allen Avenue (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The MacFarlane Homestead and Golden Gate Subdivision (approx. 0.2 miles away); Evangelist Street Charles Avenue (approx. 0.3 miles away); Churches (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Historic Coconut Grove Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Architecture (approx. 0.4 miles away); Elizabeth Virrick Park (approx. 0.4 miles away); Cocoanut Grove Park (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Coral Gables.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,715 times since then and 107 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 31, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.