Capers C.M.E. Church

Capers C.M.E. Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	319 15th Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Coordinates	36°9′34″N 86°47′43″W
Area	0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built	1925
Architect	McKissack & McKissack
Architectural style	Classical Revival
MPS	McKissack and McKissack Buildings TR
NRHP reference No.	85000045[1]
Added to NRHP	January 2, 1985

Capers C.M.E. Church, is a historic Christian Methodist Episcopal church built in 1925 in Nashville, Tennessee.[2] It is also known as Caper Memorial Christian Church,[3] and Capers Memorial C.M.E. Church.[4]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 2, 1985.[1]

History

The congregation was originally founded as the McKendree African Mission in 1832,[2] near Sulphur Springs. The church was located on Hynes Street and was renamed in 1851 as Capers Chapel in honor of its founder Bishop William C. Capers.[2][5][6] In 1870, the Capers Chapel became a member of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (C.M.E.) (also known as Christian Methodist Episcopal Church), a Black denomination of Wesleyan Methodism.[2]

It was designed in a Neo-Classic style by African-American founded architectural firm McKissack & McKissack.[2] Moses McKissack III of the architectural firm McKissack & McKissack was a church member.[7] The structure is a two-story masonry building, with four stone Doric pilasters.[2]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Capers C.M.E. Church". National Park Service. Retrieved February 15, 2023. With accompanying pictures
3. Smith, Jessie (2017-11-27). Encyclopedia of African American Business: Updated and Revised Edition, 2nd Edition [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 544. ISBN 978-1-4408-5028-8.
4. Randal Rust. "Christian Methodist Episcopal Church". Tennessee Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
5. Gregory, Carmelia D. "Capers Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (1832)". Tennessee State University.
6. Sommerville, Raymond R. (2004). An Ex-colored Church: Social Activism in the CME Church, 1870-1970. Mercer University Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-86554-903-6.
7. Smith, Jessie Carney (2006). Encyclopedia of African American Business: K-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 507–514. ISBN 978-0-313-33111-4.