Washington Square Methodist Episcopal Church

Washington Square Methodist Episcopal Church is a Gothic and Romanesque Revival building featuring slender buttresses, marble finials, and a balanced stone facade on West Fourth Street in Manhattan. The structure was later converted into apartments while preserving its original exterior appearance and protected landmark status within the historic district.

The building was constructed in 1860 as a larger replacement for an earlier Methodist church on Sullivan Street. It introduced an innovative design with a column-free balcony that improved sightlines for worshippers in the congregation.

This building served as a gathering place where diverse groups and faiths were welcomed and supported, particularly from the 1970s onward as a center of acceptance for marginalized communities. The spaces reflect this history of openness that visitors can sense in how the building was used and cared for.

The building is located in the Greenwich Village Historic District and is easily identified from the street by its distinctive stone facade on West Fourth Street. Today it is divided into private residences, but the historic exterior is protected and can be viewed from the public right of way.

The congregation gave the building the name 'The Peace Church' during the Vietnam War era, expressing their strong stance against military conflicts. This commitment to peace became a defining part of how the community identified with the space.

Location: Manhattan

Inception: 1860

GPS coordinates: 40.73140,-74.00000

Latest update: December 14, 2025 13:08