Overview of Church History
The First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor was established by the Presbyterian Society in 1826. The congregation planned the construction of its first church at Huron and Division streets in 1827. Between 1827 and 1861, the congregation built three churches on that site. The third church building, which was used until 1934, and subsequently demolished, stood on the site of the Ann Arbor News building.
In the 1930s, the church made plans to relocate east of Ann Arbor‟s central downtown district “in the woods east of town” at 1437 Washtenaw Avenue. The present Church and Lemon Wing, designed by the New York firm of Mayers, Murray & Phillip Architects, was constructed in 1937. The church expanded in the 1950s, with construction of the administrative and classroom, or Kuizenga, wing. In 1997, Monteith Hall, designed by the Ann Arbor Architects Collaborative, was constructed to complete the current facility.
With a congregation of more than 2000 members, First Presbyterian Church is the largest Protestant church in Ann Arbor.
Next: Architectural History
Prev: Table of Contents
