Highland Park United Methodist Church, Protestant church in Highland Park, Dallas, United States.
The Highland Park United Methodist Church is a Protestant church in the Highland Park neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, built in the Gothic Revival style. The structure is made of stone, with pointed arches, towers, and interior stained glass windows that cast colored light across the nave.
A Methodist congregation first met on the Southern Methodist University campus in February 1916 as University MECS, and was renamed Highland Park MECS later that year. A temporary "Little Brown Church" went up in 1917. The current sanctuary, designed by Mark Lemmon and Roscoe DeWitt, held its first service on February 6, 1927, with Umphrey Lee as pastor; Depression debt delayed dedication until 1943.
The congregation began in February 1916 as University MECS, meeting on the Southern Methodist University campus, and took the Highland Park name once students joined Methodists in the new town. Its 2024 split with the Horizon Texas Conference over governance changes made in 2022 and early 2023 led the conference to file a lawsuit on August 10, 2026.
The church is easy to find in the Highland Park neighborhood and has parking available nearby. It is worth checking ahead for service times, as the building is regularly in use throughout the week.
The sanctuary was designed by Mark Lemmon together with Roscoe DeWitt and opened on February 6, 1927, when Umphrey Lee was pastor. The congregation took 15 years to clear the building debt, and the church was dedicated only in 1943. Among its members were George W. Bush, coach Tom Landry and mayor Robert L. Thornton.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,446 contributors worldwide.