The Arts Council will begin preservation efforts for the First United Methodist Episcopal Church in Downtown Gainesville on Tuesday.
The church, which was one of the only buildings to survive the 1936 tornado that destroyed most of the city, was originally completed in 1908. Double Hung, a preservation company outside Greensboro, NC, will initiate the first stages of the preservation process by removing and repairing the church’s Roman Arch stained-glass windows.
The window preservation was kickstarted through a $75,000 grant from Fox Gives, the philanthropic branch of Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. The grant aims to engage community-wide participation and support for local preservation projects. Additionally, the funds were matched by a private donor.
“The building’s Roman Arch is one of more than 70 stained-glass windows in the church,” a release from the council said. “As funding and sponsors are secured, restoration will continue on all windows of the building. Locals may have noticed the tower window broken by recent inclement weather — it is not currently jeopardizing the facility, but the Arts Council is seeking additional support for that repair and other affected windows.”
The council will also work with Femenella & Associates, an award-winning historic window restorer based in Branchburg, New Jersey.
The companies are known for other historic preservation projects, including the restoration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home in Atlanta, the Tomochichi Federal Building in Savannah, and the conservation of four monumental skylights in the United States Capitol Building.
Donors interested in helping preserve the building can contact the Arts Council by phone at 770.534.2787 or by emailing [email protected].
