{"nrhp_refnum":"80000991","name":"First African Methodist Episcopal Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"521 N. Hull St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Athens","county":"Clarke County","state":"GA","lat":33.960990552000055,"lon":-83.37936665999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story red brick church at 521 North Hull Street in Athens, Clarke County, Georgia, built in 1916 to a design by L.H. Persley with R.F. Walker as builder. It houses the oldest black congregation in Athens.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is architecturally significant as one of the predominant structures remaining in Athens's black community, an eclectic medieval-style design reflecting the community's growing wealth. It is also significant in religious history: the congregation was organized in 1866 as Pierce's Chapel, and its basement school was a forerunner of the Athens public school system. Its ministers contributed to the community's religious and educational growth.","narrative":"Located about a block from downtown Athens, this one-story red brick church was built in 1916 from plans by architect L.H. Persley of Macon, with R.F. Walker of Athens as builder. Its eclectic medieval character shows in the gabled roof with overhanging eaves, dormer windows, round-headed stained glass windows, a brick belfry with a wood shingle roof, and a hammerbeamed ceiling over a Latin cross interior. A 1973 educational building is connected by a hallway but does not contribute to the property's significance. The congregation was organized in 1866 under the statewide leadership of Henry McNeal Turner and first met as Pierce's Chapel, named for Reverend Lovick Pierce. A school for adults and children in its basement preceded the city's public schools, established in 1885. The church is the oldest black congregation in Athens and one of the prominent buildings to survive urban redevelopment in the black community.","period_of_significance":"1916","architect_builder":"L.H. Persley, architect; R.F. Walker, builder","architectural_style":"Medieval style, eclectically carried out","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in religious use; condition listed as good and altered, with a non-contributing 1973 educational building attached. The parsonage was torn down in 1969 during urban renewal.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:40.736813-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/80000991.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000991/b6c99bebba-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000991/b6c99bebba-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Gwringle","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_African_Methodist_Episcopal_Church,_photographer_facing_NE.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Gwringle</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:First_African_Methodist_Episcopal_Church,_photographer_facing_NE.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"06000737","name":"Downtown Athens Historic District (Additional Documentation, Boundary Increase II and Boundary Decrease)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/downtown-athens-historic-district-additional-documentation-boundary-increase-ii-06000737/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207460","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_African_Methodist_Episcopal_Church_(Athens,_Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107657129"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/clarke-county/first-african-methodist-episcopal-church-80000991/"}