Postcard showing the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando, formerly located at 106 East Church Street. The First Presbyterian Church of Orlando was organized in 1876. Its first pastor was Reverend Henry Keigwin. It first congregated in the Union Free Church as well as a room in the courthouse. From 1884 to 1887,the congregation met in a church on west Central Avenue. When that church was lost in a fire, they chose to move to the east side of town. The church purchased the property bounded by Church Street, Jackson Street, Magnolia Avenue, and Rosalind Avenue in 1889 and still remains there as of 2011. The building was constructed in 1889 in the Carpenters Gothic Style. In 1902, the Congregational Church of Orlando merged with the First Presbyterian Church. In 1912, the sanctuary was enlarged to seat one thousand congregants. A second tower was added at that time as well. In 1914-1915, a major renovation was undertaken that completely changed the look of the building. The congregation added stained glass windows and the church was covered with stucco. It was changed from a traditional Gothic Style to the newer Spanish Colonial Style with white stucco, curved arches instead of Gothic, pointed features, and the original peaked roofs were hidden with the use of curvilinear elements. The stained glass windows, which were designed and made by the Jacoby Art Glass Company of St. Louis, were preserved after the building was demolished in 1958 and are stored in the Heritage Center at the church and in the Meditation Room at Westminster Towers. Murray S. King served as the remodeling architect and Frank Meyers was the contractor.
Source
Original 3.5 x 5.5 inch color postcard: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Date Created
ca. 1910
Date Copyrighted
ca. 1910
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of 3.5 x 5.5 inch original color postcard.