Grace Reformed Church is a historic church building in Northwest, Washington, D.C. A notable member was Theodore Roosevelt, who regularly attended services there during his term as United States president.“Grace Reformed Church”
The congregation was originally organized in 1877 as a member of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS), which eventually merged into the United Church of Christ (UCC).“United Church Of Christ, Washington Grace Reformed Church” Construction on the current building began in 1902, with then-Vice President Roosevelt laying the cornerstone; he also gave an address at its 1903 dedication.
As of late 2019, the original congregation no longer met at the building, but two other congregations occupied it as renters. Christ Reformed Church (URCNA) rented space in the building from approximately 2011 to the end of 2019. In 2016, Christ Reformed was told that its rental agreement would soon be ending to facilitate a likely sale of the building. Christ Reformed announced its new location in December 2019.
The Community Church of Washington, D.C. (CCWDC) also holds services in the building. Like the original Grace Reformed, it is a congregation of the United Church of Christ. As of December 2019, CCWDC had not yet formal plans to vacate the property.
The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with its Sunday School and Parish House, in 1991.“Grace Reformed Church, Sunday School and Parish House”. National Register of Historic Places. Record Number: 415986 National Register of Historic Places 2010-11-15.
History Grace Reformed Church, located in Washington D.C., was organized with 14 charter members on October 7, 1877. The church traces its roots to the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland in the 16th century. The congregation was established for English-speaking Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) believers."The Reformed Church in the United States." Almanac and Year Book for the Reformed Church in the United States. Cleveland, Ohio: Central Publishing House, 1913. Grace Reformed Church was initially supported as a mission church by the Maryland Classis, the governing body of the Reformed Church in the region.
Most RCUS congregations merged with the Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA) to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church (E&R) of the United States in 1934."History and Program: United Church of Christ." New York: United Church Press, 1986. That denomination, in turn, merged in 1957 with the majority of the Congregational Christian Churches (CC) to form the present-day United Church of Christ (UCC).
Theodore Roosevelt and Grace Reformed Church Theodore Roosevelt was a member of Grace Reformed church while President of the United States.
Roosevelt originally belonged to the Reformed Church in America (RCA), a Dutch-American group. As a private person, Roosevelt attended religious services wherever he was. He preferred the Reformed Church if one were available to attend and is reported to have said, "I take a sentimental satisfaction in worshiping in the Church of my fathers."
Since there were no RCA congregations in Washington, he chose Grace Reformed Church as a church similar liturgically and theologically to Dutch Calvinism.
Roosevelt began attending Grace Reformed Church soon after his arrival in Washington, D.C., in 1901 as vice-president of the United States. Reverend Dr. J.M. Schick, Pastor of Grace Reformed Church between 1900 and 1913, invited Roosevelt to make the church his home. Roosevelt did so and attended church regularly during his eight years in Washington.
The President often walked from the White House to attend Sunday morning worship services at Grace Church. The President was usually accompanied by two Secret Service men, and often with family members or friends. He regularly had flowers sent to adorn the altar from the greenhouse at the White House and was a faithful communicant between 1901 and 1909. Roosevelt is reported to have taken part in all the service, singing every hymn, and listening to the sermon, even jotting down notes on the sermons. His regular pew is still in the church. Roosevelt's appreciation for the spiritual support that he received from his church attendance was communicated by letters he sent to the pastor as well as the gifts of two bishop chairs and his portrait to the church.
President Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of Grace Reformed Church on July 1, 1902, and spoke at its dedication on June 7, 1903."The Address of President Roosevelt at the Dedication of Grace Reformed Church, Washington, D.C." Reformed Church Messenger. June 11, 1903. As his speech at the dedication ceremony of Grace Reformed Church concluded:
"This church is consecrated here to-day to duty and service, to the worship of the Creator, and to an earnest effort on our part so to shape our lives among ourselves and in relation to the outside world that we may feel that we have done our part in ringing a little nearer the day when there shall be on this earth a genuine brotherhood of man."
President Dwight D. Eisenhower attended a special Sunday morning worship service at Grace Reformed Church in October 1958 that commemorated the 100th birthday anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt."100th Anniversary of Grace Reformed Church 1877-1977." York, Pennsylvania: Printing by Printing Plate Craftsmen, n.d.
Structure The "Grace Reformed Church, Sunday School and Parish House" was constructed between 1892 and 1903. Grace Reformed Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Located on 15th Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C., Grace Reformed Church comprises three buildings: the Church or Sanctuary; the Sunday School; and the Parish House. The Church, designed by Paul J. Pelz and A. A. Ritcher, was constructed between 1902 and 1903. The Sunday School, also designed by Pelz, was constructed from 1911 to 1912. The Parish House, preceding both religious structures, was erected in 1892 by W. H. H. Knight, a member of the congregation. The three structures are situated so that the Parish House and Church front 15th Street, N.W. while the Sunday School, abutting the Church to the east, faces onto an alley which was originally intended as O Street, N.W.
The architectural style is Late Gothic Revival.
The exterior design, with its stone shields of Zurich and Geneva and stone heads of the knight and burgher, symbolizes the history of the Reformed Church. The interior contains seven colorful stained-glass windows depicting the life of Christ from the Visit of the Magi to the Ascension. National Register of Historic Places, Registration Form NFS OMB No. 1024-0018
History In 1880, the Maryland Classis purchased the current site of Grace Reformed Church at 1405 15th Street and in 1881, a chapel was constructed. Designed in the Queen Anne style, the chapel was built at a cost of $4,100 at the rear of the lot on 15th Street, reserving the front portion of the lot for a church. In 1892, the Parish House was built. The name listed on the permit to build as architect was W.H.H. Knight, known to have been a member of the congregation.National Archives and Records Administration. Record Group 351, D.C. Building Permits.
In 1899, it was felt that the Reformed Church denomination needed a new church located in Washington, D.C., to be a national symbol of the denomination and to strengthen its outreach in the nation's capital. The Board of Home Missions in the Maryland Classis challenged the entire Reformed Church in the United States to raise money to build "a suitable church on that fine lot."Bishop, Pamela and Kidwell, Robert W. "Appraisal Report of Grace Reformed Church." Washington, D.C. August 29, 1979. Money and support began to be collected from members of Reformed congregations throughout the United States. The decision of President Theodore Roosevelt to worship at the church added to the significance of the building's role in representing the denomination in the nation's capital. These sentiments were summed up by the Reformed Church Messenger, the denomination's newspaper, on the occasion of the dedication of the church in 1903:
In erecting this building the Reformed Church has done an appropriate thing in a beautiful way. The denomination would have aided the Washington Church, in any event, in erecting a house of worship. But the coming of President Roosevelt to worship with our Reformed people gave new life as well as new significance to the movement to erect a new church in Washington. ... In the first place, the church building is one of which the Reformed Church may be proud. No picture yet printed has given an adequate idea of the beauty of the structure. Within and without it is as beautiful and artistic as it is substantial and complete. The finished structure reflects credit on all who have had anything to do with its erection. Any member of the church visiting Washington will find a church of which he may be proud. Neither in Washington nor elsewhere will be found a building which so appropriately and so adequately meets the purpose of its erection. It stands as a monument first of all to the power and grace of the kingdom of Jesus Church but it represents at the same time the history and genius of the Reformed Church. (June 11, 1903)
The article further emphasized the significance of the choice of the Gothic Revival style to represent the Reformed movement:
The style of architecture; the shields of Geneva, Zurich and the Palatinate; the emblems cut into stone arches over the entrances to the church and the memorials in the windows and the chancel, combine to make one harmonious story easily understood by anyone who knows the Reformed Church. (June 11, 1903)Washington Architectural Club Catalog. Washington, D.C: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1901,1903, 1906.
Construction Designs for Grace Reformed Church in Washington, D.C., were begun in 1901, after an agreement was reached and signed between architects Paul J. Pelz and A. A. Ritcher and the Building Committee of Maryland Classis.
Specifications detailing the contractor's responsibilities and the building materials to be used were drawn up and signed by Pelz in April 1902, while a contract between the church and the builders, Richardson and Burgess of Washington, D.C., was signed in May 1902. The D.C. Building Permit (D.C. Permit #2052, 06/07/1902) was filed in June 1902. President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone on July 1 of the same year.
According to the building specifications, the church was of fireproof construction. Several types of materials were used on the building, including stone, brick, iron, copper, tin and slate. The stone facing was specified as Amherst Grey Canyon, supplied by the Cleveland Stone Company. All roofs were covered with Matthews Vermont slate and all cornice gutters were lined with McClure's IX Genuine Charcoal Iron redipped Tin. The hardware was specified from the Catalogue of the Reading Hardware Company, and the doors and their frames were to be red birch, inside and out.
In early 1903, the exterior walls were erected and the sculptural ornamentation was being completed. By early April, the interior of the church was being finalized. At this time, the wainscoting was almost complete, one-third of the floor was laid, a three-manual organ had been purchased, and final preparations were beginning for the dedication ceremony scheduled or June 1903.
The architect and contractors had not fully completed their contract by the dedication ceremony, however. On July 25, 1903, a piece of copper work in the alley side cornice had come loose. On July 28 the copper cornice was repaired and the building finally completed.
The Architect: Paul J. Pelz