Area less than one acre NRHP Reference # 84000169 Designated RTHL 1983 Added to NRHP 18 October 1984 | Built 1914 RTHL # 124 Opened 1914 | |
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Architectural style Gothic Revival architecture Similar Morning Chapel Colored, First Christian Church, Bryce Building, Reedy Chapel‑AME Church, Allen Chapel African M | ||
Allen Chapel AME Church is a historic church at the corner of First Street and Elm Street in Fort Worth, Texas.
History
The Tudor Gothic Revival building was designed by noted African-American architect William Sidney Pittman, son-in-law of Booker T. Washington. When the church was completed in 1914, it sat 1,350 people. It was named after Richard Allen, a former slave and African-American minister who was the first bishop of the African-American Methodist Episcopal Church. Built at a cost of $20,000 it is the oldest and largest African Methodist Episcopal church in Fort Worth. The church established the first private schools for African-Americans. A pipe organ was installed in 1923. In 2011 lightning hit the church's bell tower causing extensive damage. The church was added to the National Register in October 18, 1984.