Montrose, CO — City Councilors have voted unanimously to place the historic Montrose Episcopal Church of Montrose building, located at 19 South Park Avenue, on the city’s Register of Historic Places.
In his presentation to City Council, City Planner William Reis said the building is known today as the United Methodist Church of Montrose, but on both the national and state historical registers, the building is identified as the Montrose Episcopal Church. To keep all documentation consistent, city staff determined to refer to the building as the Montrose Episcopal Church of Montrose.
Reis said the structure meets the historic register criteria. The building is over fifty years old and is significant for its association with the religious history of Montrose, having remained a church ever since it was completed in 1920. The building was designed by architect Thomas Pellatt Barber, who was a notable architect throughout Colorado and California.
Reis said the building is celebrated for its Romanesque style of architecture.
The Montrose Episcopal Church of Montrose originates from when Montrose was first incorporated in 1882 with a Methodist Sunday school. At the time, the building was used as the first public school in Montrose, according to Reis.
Four years later, in 1886, the site’s first church building was completed at the corner of North Second Street and Cascade Avenue. The building was later condemned and torn down in 1906 due to structural instability. Methodist church leaders then purchased the lot on South Park Avenue and South First Street in 1909 where the Montrose Episcopal Church of Montrose building has stood ever since.
In his presentation to City Council, Reis highlighted the building’s bell tower, arched windows, tan sandstone brick exterior, and stained glass windows that are consistent with the construction styles of the time period.
“It’s great to recognize the historical significance of local buildings. The church has figured prominently in our community for more than one hundred years and this dedication honors that rich history,” Montrose Mayor Barbara Bynum said.
On June 27, 2023, the city’s Historic Preservation Commission voted to recommend the building be added to the city’s register.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Montrose building is the 14th building to be added to the city’s Register of Historic Places since the program was created in the fall of 2019.
City of Montrose Register of Historic Places:
- City Hall: 433 South First Street, added on September 17, 2019
- Potato Growers Association Building: 39 West Main Street, added on October 1, 2019
- The Missouri Building: 347 East Main Street, added on March 17, 2020
- The Block Building: 345 East Main Street, added on March 17, 2020
- The former BPOE Lodge Building: 107 South Cascade Avenue, added on November 17, 2020
- Montrose Fire Department No. 1 Station: 24 South Uncompahgre Avenue, added on June 1, 2021
- Historic Montrose County Jail: 271 South First Street, added on July 6, 2021
- Denver and Rio Grande Depot: 21 North Rio Grande Avenue, added July 20, 2021
- S.H. Nye Building: 428 East Main Street, added March 1, 2022
- Knights of Pythias Building: 33 South Cascade Ave, added November 1, 2022
- Montrose Electric Light & Power Co,.: 44 S Grand Ave, added December 6, 2022
- Montrose Radium Ore Sampler: 112 W Main Street, added December 6, 2022
- Montrose Electric Light & Power Co. building, 7 S Townsend Ave, added February 21, 2023.
- Methodist Episcopal Church of Montrose, 19 S Park Ave, added August 1, 2023.