{"nrhp_refnum":"10001000","name":"First Methodist Episcopal Church, South","other_names":["First Methodist Church of Atlanta","Atlanta First United Methodist Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"360 Peachtree St, NW","address_restricted":false,"city":"Atlanta","county":"Fulton County","state":"GA","lat":33.76620329100007,"lon":-84.38627904199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-12-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large Gothic Revival granite church at 360 Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, built in 1903 to designs by Willis F. Denny, with builders Donaldson & Pearson. It includes a 1925 annex and a 1950 education building.","why_significant":"The church is the 'Mother Church' of Methodism in Atlanta, descended from a congregation that built its first church in 1848. It is a major work by Atlanta architect Willis F. Denny, with notable stained glass from Mayer & Co., Von Gerichten and possibly Tiffany & Co. The nomination also notes its role as host of the 1879 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.","narrative":"Built in 1903 on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, this Gothic Revival church is faced with roughly hewn Stone Mountain granite. Architect Willis F. Denny designed it, and Donaldson & Pearson built it. The front has two square towers of unequal height, the taller holding a bell, and pointed-arch entries, lancet windows, quatrefoils and pinnacles. Inside, a sanctuary with curved oak pews, a gallery and four original chandeliers is lit by stained glass from Mayer & Co. of Munich, the Von Gerichten Art Glass Co., and two windows attributed to Tiffany & Co. A brick-and-granite Sunday school annex was added in 1925, and an education building followed in 1950, with a third floor added in 1961. The congregation began in 1847 and built its first church in 1848, making it the so-called Mother Church of Atlanta Methodism. It carried forward an 1850 bell and an 1885 organ from earlier buildings, and hosted the 1879 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Willis F. Denny (architect); Donaldson & Pearson (builders); Cooper, Bond & Cooper (1950 addition)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Gothic (Gothic Revival)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use as a religious facility; the 1925 annex is used for storage and the education building houses classrooms, offices and a gymnasium.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:43.383368-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/10001000.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10001000/1be6488f2e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10001000/1be6488f2e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Ganeshk","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atlanta_First_United_Methodist_Church_2012_09_15_14_6082.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Ganeshk</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atlanta_First_United_Methodist_Church_2012_09_15_14_6082.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93208174","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_First_United_Methodist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4816071"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/fulton-county/first-methodist-episcopal-church-south-10001000/"}