First Methodist Church of Batavia - History

History

Batavia, Illinois was first settled in the 1830s. In 1834, Henry Lyon and Allison Speer were the first two Methodists to move to the village. A third Methodist, William VanNortwick, arrived a year later and allowed church services to be held in his house. As Batavia grew, the size of the congregation became too large to hold in a single house, and plans were made to construct a church building. The First Methodist Church of Batavia was constructed in 1852 for $6,000.

In 1854, Reverend E. H. Gammon was named the first minister. Gammon later accumulated much wealth in agricultural machinery and offered funds for the construction of a newer church. Upon the completion of the new United Methodist Church of Batavia, the original church building was sold to the Batavia Community School District. The old building was re-purposed as the McWayne School Annex and it was used as a school. In 1978, the school district opened two new schools and intended to destroy the McWayne School Annex. The plans were cancelled that year when it was purchased by the Buttrey-Wulff-Mamminga Agency, Inc. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 1982.

The Greek Revival structure was built of locally-quarried limestone. The building retains its original wood gable, but it has been covered with asphalt for economic reasons. The bell tower was removed when it was converted into a school. Doric pediments adorn the north and south ends of the building. The interior features eight wooden columns.