{"nrhp_refnum":"99001049","name":"Morning Chapel Colored Methodist Episcopal Church","other_names":["Morning Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"901 E. Third St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fort Worth","county":"Tarrant County","state":"TX","lat":32.75839969500004,"lon":-97.32539631699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-08-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1 1/2-story rough-cut limestone church in the Late Gothic Revival style at East Third Street and Crump Avenue in the historic Black neighborhood known as the Hill, just east of downtown Fort Worth, Texas. It was built in 1934-1936 and designed by local architect W.C. Meador.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant at the local level under Criterion C as a Depression-era Late Gothic Revival church with restrained ornamentation. It was the only extant central Fort Worth church built during the Depression, and it was paid for on a cash basis. It also houses Fort Worth's oldest African American congregation, organized in 1868.","narrative":"Morning Chapel C.M.E. Church is a limestone Gothic Revival building on a small hill east of downtown Fort Worth, in the historic Black neighborhood known as the Hill. Designed by local architect W.C. Meador and built between 1934 and 1936, it has a front gable, corner buttresses, lancet-shaped art glass windows and a projecting square entrance tower. Its stone was salvaged from the congregation's earlier buildings. A brick education wing was added at the rear in 1954, and the sanctuary keeps its original pulpit, ceiling fixtures and a 1941 mural. The congregation, organized in 1868, is the oldest African American congregation in the city. The church was built during the Depression, paid for in cash, which slowed completion, and the plain design reflects those limits. It is the only extant central Fort Worth church from that decade and was recognized for its architecture at the local level.","period_of_significance":"1934-1936","architect_builder":"Meador, W.C. (architect)","architectural_style":"Late 19th Century Revivals/Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The church is described as in good condition, retains a high degree of integrity, and is still used as a religious facility.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.027205-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/9/9734/40973409/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/99001049.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001049/1391c3bbdd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99001049/1391c3bbdd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MorningChapelCMEChurch3.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:MorningChapelCMEChurch3.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973409","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_Chapel_C.M.E._Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6912793"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/tarrant-county/morning-chapel-colored-methodist-episcopal-church-99001049/"}