herr2ck: The Wigwam and The Tabernacle

March-April 2026.

King Avenue United Methodist Church (King Avenue UM for brevity) is an imposing English Gothic Revival church in Dennison Place. It sits on a prominent intersection of King and Neil, and the church was designed with this site in mind.

King Avenue UM is located at 299 King Avenue in the Dennison Place neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by King Avenue to the north, H2O Church to the south, Neil Avenue to the east, and The Circles to the west.

History

King Avenue UM traces its beginnings to a Sunday school established by Dennison Place residents in 1888, as the nearest Methodist church was on 3rd Avenue and too far away. They met on the second floor of a wood-frame building that was used as a bakery, which was located on 6th Avenue. The group soon grew to 127 people, resulting in the need for a full-fledged church. The congregation was established in May 1889 with 30 members.

Snippet of the 1899 Baist map, which shows the 1889 church’s footprint. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

The first King Avenue UM church, located on the current site at the southwest corner of King Avenue and Neil Avenue, was dedicated on December 23, 1889. It was a smaller stone building located on the west side of the site, entered on King Avenue, and it had a large apse on the western end. This small church only sat 150 people and was outgrown by the turn of the 20th century.

Low-resolution, cropped photo of the church (possibly the 1904 version), which is the only early 20th-century photo I could find. (King Avenue UM website)

The 1889 church was demolished circa 1902, and a temporary church known as the “Wigwam” that could seat the 200+ member congregation stood until 1904. The second church was dedicated on March 5, 1904. It cost $54,000 to build, and with a capacity of 1,800 people, it was one of the largest in Columbus. However, the 1904 church burnt down during renovation work on August 23, 1918, only leaving a few of the exterior stone walls intact.

The existing church building dates to 1922. After the fire, another temporary building known as the “Tabernacle” was used by parishioners until the church was rebuilt and dedicated on October 8, 1922. The church’s website states that it has an almost identical appearance to the 1904 church, which seems to be true aside from the much larger tower.

1973 photo of the exterior. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

A southern addition to the church was built from 1957 to 1959, also Gothic Revival in style. It contained a new chapel and choir rooms, and the foundation for the addition was built as part of the original building in 1922.

Photos

A view from the corner of Neil and King:

Principal, Neil Avenue facade:

The addition (left) actually balances the building, but it pokes outward a bit too much. This building is clearly influenced by English Gothic architecture overall with its horizontal emphasis and simple tracery.

The area with the main entrance has a large stained-glass window above:

A better view of the window:

Rectangular windows and parapet above:

The main entrance, which has a broad pointed arch:

Roof above and slightly hidden window:

I’m honestly shocked that this addition is from the 1950s. I thought it was original to the building--it’s very rare for alterations from that era to be contextual.

This massive tower is iconic to the neighborhood and stands tall above the surrounding two-story houses. It is largely symmetrical aside from the decorative turret at the northeast corner.