Paca Street Christian Church

Later known as Harlen Avenue Christian Church and First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ Denomination)

First located - northwest corner of Paca and Lombard streets.

Originally the property housed a house which was purchased by a small Dunker congregation
(German Baptists)in 1787. The original deed was owned by John Eager Howard. In 1830 part of the building fell damaging a neighboring building.

The original Baltimore Disciples of Christ congregation formed in 1840, and for a decade met in houses, rented halls, and rented chapels until such time as they had enough money and strength in number to sustain a building and pastor.

In 1849, one of the Charter members of the Dunker group sold a portion of the property to the Disciples with the understanding that the Dunkers could make use of the Disciples building for their own worship. A great dispute occurred as the other members of the Dunkers were upset that they had not had a say in the sale. For a year the problem had its day in court. Until in 1850 the Disciples were able to secure legal rights to the property.

This building was enlarged and give a new facade in 1873.

Paca Street Christian Meeting House 1850

Interior of the Paca Street Christian Church before1873 renovation

Post 1873 renovation and enlargement

 Thirteen years later the residential parts of neighborhood was quickly dwindling, with commercial, manufacturing, and the University of Maryland on the increase. In the Winter of 1886 the Paca St Congregation buys a triangle shaped lot at Harlem Ave & Fremont Ave., and in the Summer of 1887 vacated the old building to take up in their new home on Harlem Ave. Renaming themselves The Harlem Avenue Christian Church. 

Exterior of the Harlem Ave. Christian Church

Interior of Harlem Ave. Christian Church. 

After the Disciples congregation vacated the Paca Street property, it was used to make cigarettes, then  straw hats, and later shirts.During the Straw hat period it was partially damaged by a fire and in 1904 the Great fire. In 1905 the area including the Church grounds were built on by clothing factory. In recent years it has been consumed by the ever expanding University of Maryland.

The Harlem Avenue building is still used as a church, but not by its original inhabitants. During the early 1920s a number of churches in the are same area held meetings where the issue of selling their properties to African American congregations was discussed. There was a fear that if one white church was to sell it would start an avalanche of sales and then a devaluation of home sales would occur. The Sun paper was filled with articles about the topic. Not once was there ever a pastor or church leader saying that the church should be open to all. In the end the Disciples of Christ congregation.

For a time the congregation rented space in the Forest Park Theater, until they had erected a building on Liberty Heights and Copley Rd.  The Nov 5, 1922 Sun Paper inserted an architect's rendering of the newly envisioned building on Copely Road, of which only phase I  was completed. 

1922 Sun Paper entry of the architect's rendering for the proposed Copely Rd complex

Present view of Copely Rd building