Grace United Methodist Church, Methodist church in St. Augustine, Florida, United States.
Grace United Methodist Church is a poured-concrete church at 8 Carrera Street, built 1886–1887 in Spanish Renaissance Revival style to complement Flagler's hotels. Its walls mix shell aggregate and sand, and red Spanish tile and terracotta ornament the door and tower. Inside, Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass windows remain.
Henry Flagler wanted to build the Hotel Alcazar opposite the Hotel Ponce de Leon, but the site held the Olivet Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1884. He offered the trustees a new plot at the northwest corner of Carrera and Cordova Streets and paid for construction, which ran from 1886 to 1887 at a cost of about $85,000. The first service was held on January 1, 1888, and Bishop W.F. Mallelieu dedicated the church later that month.
The church was renamed Grace Methodist Episcopal Church for its first service on January 1, 1888, and was dedicated later that month by Bishop Willard Francis Mallalieu. In 2011 Grace merged with Christ Church, another Methodist congregation in St. Augustine. The Tiffany stained-glass windows in the sanctuary remain in place.
The church stands at 8 Carrera Street, at the northwest corner of Carrera and Cordova Streets, behind the former Hotel Ponce de Leon. The sanctuary is entered from Carrera Street; the attached parsonage dates from the original 1886–1887 build. Look up at the tower and door for the red Spanish tile and terracotta ornament.
The architects Carrère and Hastings, who designed this church, also shaped the neighboring Ponce de Leon Hotel, now part of Flagler College. This connection shows how one design firm helped define St. Augustine's character.
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