Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Methodist church in Harlem, United States.
Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is an African Methodist Episcopal Zion congregation housed in a Neo-Gothic stone building in Harlem, Manhattan. The facade features large stained glass windows and carved stonework typical of early twentieth-century religious construction in New York City.
The congregation was founded in 1796, when African American members of John Street Methodist Church came together to form their own religious community. The current building went up in the early 1920s, reflecting the congregation's growth during Harlem's transformation into a center of African American life.
The church sits at the heart of Harlem and remains an active gathering place for the neighborhood's African American community. Services and community events take place regularly, giving the building a lived-in presence that visitors can sense from the street.
The building is easy to spot from the street and makes a natural stop when walking through Harlem. Visitors interested in seeing the interior should check in advance, as access depends on the schedule of services and events.
George W. Foster Jr., one of the first African American architects in the country, designed the building in the early twentieth century. His name is rarely mentioned outside specialist circles, even though his work is still visible in the New York streetscape today.
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