Our Building

200 block of 3rd AVE

The church building, constructed by Central Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was dedicated on March 20, 1927. The local papers praised the beauty and educational advantages of the design by R. H. Hunt of Chattanooga. The building was built of red brick on stone foundation, with trim and steps of Tennessee marble and located on a city block in the population center of Knoxville at the time. With its distinctive bell tower rising 125 feet above the street, Central UMC can be seen from nearly a mile away. Please visit the Archives room to see news paper headlines and other photos.

Built at a cost of $450,000, the building was ahead of its time with 1,800 seat sanctuary (floor- level, choir area, and balcony), 5,000 square foot fellowship hall, a commercial-grade kitchen, an additional 1,000 square foot meeting room, and on the fourth floor, a full size gym with showers. The acoustical design of the sanctuary allows the speaker to be heard everywhere. The fellowship hall, adjacent to the large kitchen, contained a projection booth and baptismal pool for those who preferred baptism by immersion. The educational department was described as "larger than the principal building of many small colleges."

Around the building