MassachusettsThe Center Methodist Church at 356 Commercial Street in Provincetown is a white clapboard two-story church built in 1861, the fourth structure erected by the town's Methodists, who used it for religious purposes until 1961. Its two-stage octagonal tower and Wren-baroque detailing—rusticated wood made to look like stone, round-headed wall arches with articulated keystones, Ionic pilasters, balustrades, and heavy broken cornices—were based on designs of the English baroque architect Sir Christopher Wren. Sited on one of the highest points in town, the church and its tower were a prominent visual landmark from Provincetown Harbor, portrayed in many paintings, sketches, and etchings and the first building visible to returning fishermen. In 1958 it was converted into an art museum for Walter P. Chrysler's collection, dividing the second-floor meeting room and removing the stained glass, though the original double staircases and trompe l'oeil ceiling paintings survive.
Center Methodist Church
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Center Methodist Church is a landmark in Provincetown, Barnstable County. It is one of 6,558 landmarks documented in Barnstable County, among 6,897 historic sites cataloged across the county on MassRoam.
The site sits at 42.0535, -70.1844 near Provincetown. The nearest cataloged historic site is House at 358-360 Commercial St (landmark), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include House at 5 Center St, Provincetown Methodist Church Parsonage, and Provincetown Firehouse #4 and #6.
This record is drawn from public historical records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
The Center Methodist Episcopal Church at 356 Commercial Street in Provincetown was built in 1860 and was said to be the largest Methodist church in the United States, seating 900 people. Its original spire rose 162 feet before being damaged in the 1898 Portland Gale and later rebuilt at a lower height. The Methodist congregation moved out in 1955, and the building afterward served as Walter P. Chrysler Jr.'s art museum, the Provincetown Heritage Museum, and, since 2005, the Provincetown Public Library, which incorporated a half-scale replica of the schooner Rose Dorothea into its interior. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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