What’s the Most Beautiful Church in Raleigh?
My vote goes to the United House of Prayer
I don’t attend or belong to a church and I haven’t seen all of the ones in Raleigh–but I’ve admired this structure on more than one occasion and thought it was beautiful. It is home to the United House of Prayer denomination, and is located on 409 East South Street, near Shaw University.
The Pastor, Apostle T. Baptist (above) was kind enough to show me around and give me a history lesson of the church. The United House of Prayer was founded by Charles Manuel Grace in West Wareham, Massachusetts. The first structure was built in 1919 at a cost of 39 dollars. Today, there are 138 congregations in 38 cities.
When asked of the significance of the lions pictured above, he stated: The lions are a representation of the lion of the Tribe of Judah. The lion of the Tribe of Judah was Jesus
.
What makes this particular denomination so unique is that every church is completely paid for before the doors are opened for service. When asked about the significance of this in relation to the church, he stated: We can’t give or dedicate anything to God, unless we own it
. This high level of fiscal responsibility allows them to contribute more towards the community. Weddings and funerals are provided at no cost. They run the McCollough Scholarship Fund, which allows the younger members of the congregation to seek higher education. They also provide housing and senior citizen care not only to their congregation, but to others in the community as well.
So now that you know which church I think is the most beautiful in Raleigh, which one do you think should hold the title? I’ll document and write about some of the responses in a later post.
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12/04/2008
What an interesting article! That you gained access to and photographed the interior of this downtown landmark is remarkable. I’ve always been intrigued by those outer space-like, radio antenna-looking ornaments on the roof. To me they evoke an image of a giant alien spaceship having just landed in the center of Raleigh. I love the shot of the giant stone lion standing watch over the city’s night time skyline. Good job John!
The previous United House of Prayer building on this site was a gargantuan concrete block structure, built probably in the 1940s. It was painted bright white and featured red and blue painted architectural details and religious iconography. It sure was colorful! Wish I had photographed it. And before that, the the African-American campus of the state “Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institution” occupied this block. The original building had been erected in 1875, and two 3-story turreted wings designed by Raleigh’s prolific 19th century architect A.G. Bauer were added in the 1890s. Bauer’s masterpiece was the erstwhile Meredith College building–the “Castle”– on Blount St.
As far as Raleigh’s most beautiful church building, my vote goes to Christ Church on Capitol Square. It was designed by famous 19th century New York architect Richard Upjohn. Its cornerstone was laid in 1848 and the church completed in 1853. Christ Church is a textbook example of classic English country gothic architecture. The weathervane-topped stone tower was added in 1861. About ten years ago the historic interior underwent a meticulous restoration and is breathtaking to behold! Christ Church is a truly beautiful building, inside and out.
12/04/2008
When I clicked through to the link (I rss this site) I was expecting… I don’t know, a traditional cathedral I guess. How impressed and delighted I was to find these stunning photos of this very unique church. I continue to be impressed with the work I find here.
Fantastic shots. Thanks again for being an awesome part of my day.
12/04/2008
These pics are beautiful. What a nice house of worship. I agree with Raleigh Boy: Christ Church in Capitol Square is my favorite in Raleigh.
12/04/2008
My vote would also go to Christ Episcopal. Feels like a little chunk of ol’ England plopped right in the middle of Raleigh.
I also think First Presbyterian in downtown is very beautiful too.
12/05/2008
John, that was a wonderful post, and Raleighboy’s boundless knowledge of local history made it even more interesting. I’m enjoying seeing my home of 30+ years through the eyes of a relative newcomer and an oldtimer. Great concept!
I have no real opinion on the most beautiful church, although Christ Church certainly comes to mind. But I’ve never looked closely at the United Church of Prayer, so I’ll withhold my vote until I do. Thank you for making me aware of its existence.
12/07/2008
With 4 out of 4 people suggesting Christ Church – it looks like we have an overwhelming majority! Since Raleigh Boy has long-standing ties to that particular church, I’ll let him write the article on that.
Arial – thanks for the kind words. Looking forward to hearing your contributions on this city’s past and future too!
12/08/2008
There are some beautiful modern(ist) churches in Raleigh, too, including Holy Trinity Lutheran and Our Savior Lutheran (although its beauty was diminished by a pomo addition). In a more traditional vein, the interior of First Baptist Church downtown has some lovely woodwork. (And I agree, Christ Church is beautiful and historic.)
05/09/2009
The United Church of Prayer is an exercise in bad taste and a vulgar display of cheap building materials. The concrete cast lions that flank the entry are pure roadside kitsch and a fitting symbol for this nightmare of a building. The solid colored glass panels are a poor attempt at imitating the effect of stained glass. Altogether this is probably Raleigh’s most pathetic 20th century building. It may just simply be the worst ever. Those who have singled out Christ Church on Capitol Square are right. Not only is that building a good piece of architecture; it is designed by a distinguished architect, the same architect who design Trinity Church in lower Manhattan (the one often associated with Wall Street). Richard Upjohn is the designer from the New York firm of Upjohn, Upjohn and Upjohn. The firm moved to Greensboro in the early 20th century and the grandson, Hobart Upjohn, did the very sensitive addition to Christ Church. He also designed Thompson Building and Brooks Hall at NCSU as well as the First Presbyterian churches in Greensboro and Wilmington. His most impressive structure is the Roanoke Rapids High School building, built in 1921 and still used as a high school today. Also in Roanoke Rapids Hobart Upjohn desingned All Saints Episcopal Church and the Patterson Manson, the second largest home in North Carolina when it was built in 1920. (Biltmore in Asheville, of course,is the largest.) Another Raleigh church that is noteworthy is Our Lady of Lourdes in Fallon Park, a sleek contemporary structure.
02/26/2012
i definitely think Christ Church in downtown Raleigh is by far the most beautiful. The Episcopal church we attend is on the other side of town and is nothing special on the inside or outside but this one is just gorgeous
i stitched a panoramic photo of the interior that can be viewed by going to this link:
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/65911017.jpg
07/13/2012
@Lee I don’t know who told you about the architecture of the building but they lied. I know for a fact that nothing on ANY of the house of prayer sanctuaries are cheap. Most if not all of these sanctuaries contain pure gold within and some on the outside of the building. They are very serious in regards to building Gods house.