Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church

The congregation was founded in 1838 and the current building was constructed in 1886 by architect George Dearing. According to the church, it is oldest continuously black-owned property in the original 10-mile parcel of the District. The funerals of abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1895), the first African American U.S. Senator, Blanche Bruce (1898), and civil-rights activist Rosa Parks (2005) were held in the church. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In May 2010, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added the building to its list of 11 of America's Most Endangered Places due to water damage and other structural problems requiring $11 million in renovations.

Nov 2016, Photo 468