A few notes from their web site:

• The congregation which formed St. Paul’s Church was originally the slave membership of Edenton Street United Methodist Church.
• In 1853, White Methodists bought the Old Christ Episcopal Church, where the Blacks had been worshipping since 1846. The congregation worshipped under other names, but it was in 1848 that “St. Paul Church” was formally established
• In 1854, the Black membership moved the old church to the corner of Harrington and Edenton Streets
• The Black congregation remained under the guidance of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the South, until Emancipation
• In 1865, the membership severed its ties with Edenton Street Methodist Church and joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church Conference, a Black denomination founded in 1787 by Richard Allen and organized in 1816
• The birth of the current structure was the result of a long building campaign which began in 1884. The church formally opened in 1901
• The record bears that St. Paul was built by the “first independent Black congregation” formed in Raleigh. It is the oldest Black church in Wake County, North Carolina

This building has been in the news a bit lately. It has, at least, in the local blogging scene. The Raleigh Connoiseur, New Raleigh, among others all ran interesting pieces discussing the approaching destruction of this unique and historic building.

The destruction of this piece of modernist architecture downtown will be a significant loss that will be remembered for years to come.

The Odd Fellows building, or as it says on the column, Commerce Building. It’s 11 stories and was built in 1923 for the Grand Lodge of the IOOF (Independent Order of Odd Fellows).

The IOOF website says that

In 17th century England, it was odd to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need and of pursuing projects for the benefit of all mankind. Those who belonged to such an organization were called “Odd Fellows”. Odd Fellows are also known as “The Three Link Fraternity” which stands for Friendship, Love and Truth.