Central Woodward Christian Church

Infobox_nrhp | name =Central Woodward Christian Church
nrhp_type =

---

caption = Church facade from Woodward
location= Detroit, Michigan
lat_degrees = 42
lat_minutes = 22
lat_seconds = 54.06
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 83
long_minutes = 4
long_seconds = 49.94
long_direction = W
locmapin = Michigan
area =
built =1926
architect= George D. Mason
architecture= Late Gothic Revival, Other
added = August 03, 1982
governing_body = Private
mpsub=Religious Structures of Woodward Ave. TR
refnum=82002896cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service] The Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church is a church in Detroit Michigan located at 9000 Woodward Avenue. It was originally built in 1928 as the Central Woodward Christian Church.

History

The Disciples of Christ in Detroit was founded in 1846 by Reverend William Nay. By the 1890s, the congregation had grown enough to construct a large church in downtown Detroit. [http://www.detroit1701.org/Little%20Rock%20Baptist.html Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church/ Central Woodward Christian Church] from Detroit1701.org.] In the 1920s, the church built another building on Woodward Avenue, calling it the "Central Woodward Christian Church". They hired architect George Mason to design the building, which was opened in 1928.

In the early 1970s, as the congregation migrated out of Detroit and into the suburbs, the church built another building at 3955 West Big Beaver Road in Troy, retaining the name "Central Woodward Christian Church". In 1978, the building at 9000 Woodward was sold to the Little Rock Missionary Baptist church, a primarily African-American congregation founded in 1938. A State of Michigan historical marker commemorated this church. [http://www.michmarkers.com/Pages/L1891.htm Central Woodward Christian Church] from michmarkers.com]

Building

The church is built in a classic Gothic style from Indiana limestone, and has a slate roof, copper trim, and stained glass windows. [http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/historic/districts/little_rock.pdf Little Rock Missionary Baptist Church] from the City of Detroit Planning and Development Department] The stained glass windows are a distinguishing feature of the building. Some were installed by the original Disciples of Christ congregation, including two windows designed by A. Kay Herbert. One window depicts George Washington and the other shows Abraham Lincoln holding the Emancipation Proclamation. In the 1990s, the Little Rock congregation began installing more windows to replace the previous clear glass ones. Perhaps the best known of these windows is the African American Pulpit window depicting the Reverend Richard Allen, the founder of the African-Methodist-Episcopal church, Dr. Martin Luther King, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Reverend C. L. Franklin, and Reverend James Holley, pastor of the Little Rock congregation.

References