Methodist Episcopal Church

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

1. Methodist Episcopal Church Marker

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From the National Register Nomination:
The Methodist Episcopal Church was one of the first congregations organized in Devils Lake. In the spring of 1883, the Great Northern Railroad was extended from Bartlett to Devils Lake with the first train arriving July 4. According to church records, the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1883 with eleven members. Less than two years later the first church was built. The first edifice, built in 1885-86, had two rooms, one 24' by 70' for the sanctuary, and the other 24' by 16' for Sunday school and other church activities.

On April 28, 1915, the desirability of building a new church was discussed. It was moved that they proceed to build that year. Joseph A. Shannon, a local architect, and W.C. Fosburgh, contractor and a member of the church, were chosen for the new construction. The old building was torn down, nails pulled, and lumber piled in four days at a cost of $90. The

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

2. Methodist Episcopal Church Marker

lumber and nails were to be utilized in the new church. Dedication of the new church was conducted May 20, 1917.

This 1915 church exemplifies Shannon’s work in the coloration of brick and cream terra cotta. A twelve-inch-wide sandstone watertable located about six feet off the ground surrounds the entire building and is level with the main floor. The building style is Classical Revival and is highlighted with heavily accented Romanesque influence. Projecting bays on all four sides are ornamented by terra cotta pilasters in a simplified Roman Doric order supporting a gable pediment.

In 1929 the mortgage was paid off. Improvements were made over the years: a Hammond organ was purchased in 1937, a new heating system in 1944, a modern kitchen in 1946, and a Baldwin organ in 1982. A need for additional classrooms arose in 1955. Monies were raised and an educational building was begun in 1958. This church school building was attached to the north of the church and houses the pastor’s office and Sunday school rooms in the basement. In 1962 the local church became the only church in North Dakota to acquire a set of hand bells. Over the years the church has supported two bell choirs. 1968 brought about the change of the Methodist Episcopal Church to the United Methodist Church. In 2005 a demand for handicap accessibility was studied. As a result, an extension onto the east was created

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

3. Methodist Episcopal Church Entrance

From the National Register Nomination:  The main entrance is at the south facade at the west corner. It has a set of double doors topped with a half-moon transom. The Roman arch is outlined in four courses of brick molding with an oversized stone key stone and stone springers.

providing a street level entrance and an elevator to the sanctuary and basement.

Joseph A. Shannon was an architect in Devils Lake, North Dakota. He has been termed “the city's first true architect.” He apparently had no formal degree in architecture, yet applied for certification and became one of North Dakota's first licensed architects. He designed 17 buildings in Devils Lake, of which 15 survived in 2001. Shannon was born March 21, 1859, and grew up in Edina, Missouri. In Minnesota he worked as a carpenter, then established a homestead near Bristol, South Dakota, and later worked as a carpenter at Fort Sisseton in South Dakota. He later served as president of the North Dakota State Board of Architecture. He lived in Devils Lake until his death on January 25, 1934.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

4. Methodist Episcopal Church

Today known as the First United Methodist Church.
From the National Register Nomination:  The front facade is accented with a colonnade of four brick pilasters. The pilasters rest on the sandstone watertables and are topped with stone Doric capitals that visually support a brick entablature and heavy projecting gable roof pediment. Between the pilasters are two rows — upper and lower — of windows. The three lower rectangular stained-glass windows are headed with prominent eight-inch stone lintels and sit on four-inch stone sills. The header and sill extend in width four inches to each side of the windows, the full width of space between each pilaster. The square upper windows sit on a stone sill, but they are capped by the entablature.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

5. Methodist Episcopal Church (south elevation & 2005 addition)

From the National Register Nomination:  The 2005 addition is a response to the need for ADA accessibility to the church. The addition is located on the east side of the original church building at the southeast corner facing 5th Street. The addition, though remote as a copy of the original building, incorporates significant aspects. The same two-tone brick, a near match to the original, was used. The original sandstone watertable was carried through the addition at the same level and was used to split the dark and light-colored brick as on the original building. The lower brick is also accented with a horizontal brick relief that matches the original building for relief depth and location.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2023

6. Methodist Episcopal Church (southwest elevation)

The 1958 educational addition is attached on the far left (north) side of the main building.