East End UMC's men's Sunday school class seated on the front steps of the sanctuary in the early years.On a fall afternoon in 1907, the members of East End United Methodist Church, 1212 Holly Street, gathered on the front lawn to dedicate the completion of the brand new sanctuary. It was a bustling time in Nashville and in the nation, then comprising 45 states. Teddy Roosevelt was president, electric trolleys were Nashville’s mode of public transportation, and magician Harry Houdini was all the rage. On Sunday, Sept. 30, 2007, the East End congregation will celebrate the sanctuary’s 100th anniversary with a homecoming event featuring special music, speakers from several generations of East Enders, and a luncheon.
East End Methodist Church was established in 1889, but it soon outgrew the first building it constructed at 1100 Fatherland. In 1905, the congregation purchased the land on Holly Street, in Nashville’s historic East End neighborhood, for $2,500 and funded the $14,000 needed to start basic construction. On October 27, 1907, the sanctuary was complete and a capacity crowd attended worship service and laid the cornerstone.
For 100 years, generations have lovingly cared for the sanctuary, striving to honor its purpose as a house of worship and maintain its historic and architectural integrity. The building combines a Victorian style Romanesque Revival exterior with a Colonial Revival interior. The tower design is taken directly from medieval fortification, including the tower’s arrow slits.
The main stained glass window at the north end of the sanctuary pictures Christ as the Good Shepherd. The window has been attributed by some to the Tiffany Studios. The sanctuary’s pipe organ was purchased in 1912, with philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donating one-half of the needed funds. The unique pipe organ is still used today in all of East End’s services.
East End Methodist Church was established in 1889, but it soon outgrew the first building it constructed at 1100 Fatherland. In 1905, the congregation purchased the land on Holly Street, in Nashville’s historic East End neighborhood, for $2,500 and funded the $14,000 needed to start basic construction. On October 27, 1907, the sanctuary was complete and a capacity crowd attended worship service and laid the cornerstone.
For 100 years, generations have lovingly cared for the sanctuary, striving to honor its purpose as a house of worship and maintain its historic and architectural integrity. The building combines a Victorian style Romanesque Revival exterior with a Colonial Revival interior. The tower design is taken directly from medieval fortification, including the tower’s arrow slits.
The main stained glass window at the north end of the sanctuary pictures Christ as the Good Shepherd. The window has been attributed by some to the Tiffany Studios. The sanctuary’s pipe organ was purchased in 1912, with philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donating one-half of the needed funds. The unique pipe organ is still used today in all of East End’s services.
East End UMC's pipe organ shortly after it was installed in 1912. It is still used today in East End's servicesOver the last century the church campus has grown to include the construction of Sunday school classrooms and playground (1921), parsonage (1923), annex and park (1946), and an additional wing (1950s).
The church buildings remained virtually untouched by three major disasters which struck the neighborhood over the last century. In 1916, more than 700 homes were destroyed or damaged by a fire which left 3,000 neighbors homeless. Then in 1933, a tornado ripped through the neighborhood killing 37 persons and causing mass destruction. East End Methodist welcomed Eastland Christian Church to hold services in the sanctuary until Eastland’s own tornado damage could be repaired. Sixty-five years later in 1998, another tornado followed a nearly identical path through East Nashville. The only physical change to the main building occurred when the huge wooden doors of the sanctuary were pulled open by the tornado, despite being dead-bolt locked. East End once again shared the sanctuary with another congregation, the Power of Deliverance, whose own church building was destroyed. Through all three of these disasters, East End United Methodist Church played a pivotal role in providing aide and assistance to thousands of victims.
To further commemorate the sanctuary’s first 100 years, the church is collecting 100 Prayers of Thanksgiving and 100 Prayers of Hope. Prayers may be sent by email to office@eastendumc.org; mail to 1212 Holly Street, Nashville TN, 37206; or phone 615-227-3272.
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