First Methodist Church of Batavia
National Register of Historic Places

First Methodist Church of Batavia

Batavia, Kane County, Illinois
Listed
March 19, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Modern
Ref No.
82002546

About this property

The First Methodist Church of Batavia is a historic building in Batavia, Illinois. It functioned as a Methodist church until the 1880s. The building was then converted into the McWayne School Annex, which held classes until 1978. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Batavia, Illinois was first settled in the 1830s. In 1834, Henry Lyon and Allison Speer were the first two Methodists to move to the village. A third Methodist, William VanNortwick, arrived a year later and allowed church services to be held in his house. As Batavia grew, the size of the congregation became too large to hold in a single house, and plans were made to construct a church building. The First Methodist Church of Batavia was constructed in 1852 for $6,000. In 1854, Reverend E. H. Gammon was named the first minister. Gammon later accumulated much wealth in agricultural machinery and offered funds for the construction of a newer church. Upon the completion of the new United Methodist Church of Batavia, the original church building was sold to the Batavia Community School District. The old building was re-purposed as the McWayne School Annex and it was used as a school. In 1978, the school district opened two new schools and intended to destroy the McWayne School Annex. The plans were cancelled that year when it was purchased by the Buttrey-Wulff-Mamminga Agency, Inc. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 1982. The Greek Revival structure was built of locally quarried limestone. The building retains its original wood gable, but it has been covered with asphalt for economic reasons. The bell tower was removed when it was converted into a school. Doric pediments adorn the north and south ends of the building. The interior features eight wooden columns.

Location

355 1st St.
Batavia, Kane County, Illinois
41.84838, -88.31390

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

United Methodist Church of Batavia
Industrial
0.2 mi
Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Depot
Civil War
0.3 mi
Batavia Institute
Industrial
0.3 mi
White, Louise, School
Industrial
0.5 mi
Holy Cross Church
Industrial
0.6 mi

Nearby Battles

Langford Tradition Conflicts
1350Pre-Columbian
9 mi

Questions about this property

When was First Methodist Church of Batavia listed on the National Register?

First Methodist Church of Batavia was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 1982.

What type of historic resource is First Methodist Church of Batavia?

First Methodist Church of Batavia is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for First Methodist Church of Batavia?

The period of significance for First Methodist Church of Batavia is recorded as the modern era, specifically around 1978.

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