Bethel Methodist Church
National Register Listing
Street Address:
57 Pitt St., Charleston, SC (Charleston County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817710088
Description and Narrative:
Bethel Methodist Church (built 1853-1854), located on the site of Charleston’s first Methodist church building, is an exceptional example of antebellum Greek Revival ecclesiastical architecture. Except for the rather steeply pitched roof, the church is one of the better examples of Greek Doric temple architecture in the state. Of stuccoed brick painted white, the building has a massive, giant-order hexastyle Doric portico with a simple Doric pediment and entablature. Designed by a Mr. Curtis, Bethel Church has pilastered walls, and there is one tier of large windows on each side of the structure; the building has a gabled roof and a main entrance which is pedimented with consoles. The roof is more steeply pitched than is usual in a Doric temple to allow rainwater to drain more quickly, thus helping to eliminate the possibility of leaks. The portico withstood the 1886 earthquake intact and stands today unaltered. The auditorium-plan interior has a cove ceiling. The church has a cemetery with crepe myrtles on the north side. Listed in the National Register November 20, 1974.
Period of Significance:
1853;1853 – 1854;19th century
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
November 20 1974
