April 2026.
Broad Street United Methodist Church is known for its sickly green stone facade, as it was built out of a kind of stone known as serpentinite mined in Pennsylvania. If you know the book of Genesis, the serpent (Devil) was the one who tempted Adam and Eve to eat the apple from the tree of knowledge, so this decision has interesting biblical implications.
Broad Street United Methodist is located at 501 East Broad Street in the Discovery District neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by Broad Street and the Columbus Museum of Art to the north, Capital Street to the south, Washington Avenue to the east, and the Encova Building to the west.
History
Historic view of the exterior. (Columbus Illustrated)
Even the NRHP listing has very little information on the church, which I found to be unusual. Columbus’s population was expanding beyond its downtown after the Civil War, and the east side was one of these growing neighborhoods. At the time, Broad Street was a tree-lined boulevard that was much different in character, as it was largely residential at the time. A new Methodist congregation, Broad Street Methodist Episcopal, was established in 1874 to serve this population. Their first church was a smaller wooden design that was completed in 1875. However, it was quickly outgrown by the burgeoning congregation.
The existing Broad Street United Methodist Church was designed by Joseph W. Yost (of Yost & Packard) in 1884 in the Gothic Revival style. The exterior uses the green serpentinite mentioned earlier, which is a veneer over bearing brick walls. The square church sanctuary uses the Akron plan, a popular church design choice at the time. It was completed in 1885 at a cost of $70,000. An education wing is also attached to the building in the rear.
1980 view of the interior. (NRHP listing)
The church’s history after its construction isn’t really recorded online. A historical marker nearby states that an adjacent church, Wesley Chapel Methodist Church and its successor Central Methodist Church, merged with the Broad Street Methodist congregation in 1935. The west wall’s stained-glass windows came from that church, while the east windows were installed in 1908 by Von Gerichten Studios. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Part of the reason that serpentinite is not commonly used on facades is its porosity. Over time, the stone weathered, which resulted in leaks and spalling of the stone. Ad-hoc repairs with mortar only weakened the stone further. In 2006, it was decided that the original stone should be removed and replaced with a synthetic cast stone in the same color. This work was done by Rogers Kranjak Architects and included cleaning and restoration of the sandstone elements, painting wooden trim, and repairs and re-fabrication of original hardware and architectural features.
Photos
A view from the corner of Broad and Washington:
The church is anchored by its tall northeast tower, which defines its main entrance. The sanctuary is square and has a cross-gabled appearance, the only difference being a larger rose window on the north facade. I also didn’t take any other more holistic photos than this one, so the rest of this post is just gonna be architectural details.
The main entrance, which has a portal surrounding with two Gothic columns and a trefoil motif:
Tower telescoping upwards:
I think this spire is modern, based on its metal appearance and differences from the historic photo.
Detail of the inscription below the rose window, which uses a lovely, eclectic Victorian font:
Looking up at the rose window from the same perspective:
I really like the unusual shape of the window. The wheel-shaped portion is more like a conventional rose window, but the two smaller circles with quatrefoils are interesting, and the way the gaps are filled is cool, too.
Cross and stone details atop the gable:
A more balanced view from further away, though it’s partially obscured by leaves:
These smaller lancet windows line the area below the rose window:
This northwest tower has a secondary entrance, with a large, carved limestone gable above:
Crown of the northwest tower:
Looking east at the tower and a pinnacle:
Very stark difference between light and shadow in this view of the transept:
I think this is the stained glass from Central Methodist. The panes are rectangular but are highly elaborate.
These windows above are really great. It’s rare that stained glass is open to the elements anymore, as it’s usually shielded behind some piss-yellow acrylic that obscures it completely.
Another pinnacle that borders this transept:
The education wing is much simpler, using buff brick with a rectangular form and windows:
The east side has a matching entrance:
Gothic spire versus Modern glass box:
It might be the shadows, but the cloudy plastic shielding really cheapens this stained glass.
I wasn’t able to get this far away on the west side, so here’s a better look at the overall shape of this large window:
Flashbang!
I love the more eclectic massing of this area, as well as the large bay window and the rounded tower.
Looking back at the east facade from here:
Another view of the tower and rear of the church:
This is definitely one I struggled with and wish I was able to cover in better quality. I did intend to visit the interior at some point later on, but I ran out of time before graduation. (I think I had told myself I’d get better exterior photos then, with the sun facing the other way in the morning.) Since the main facade faces north, half the building is in shadow anyways, which didn’t help.
Sources:
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988424
https://theclio.com/entry/29150
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=248186
https://smbhinc.com/broad-street-united-methodist-church-stone-replacement/
https://itoldya420.getarchive.net/amp/topics/broad+street+united+methodist+church+columbus+ohio
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