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Messiah
Holiness Church
(Welsh
Congregational)
220 Elm Street
Youngstown, Ohio 44501
Messiah
Holiness Church of God in Christ was built in 1861, and is
believed to be the oldest existing religious building in Mahoning
County. It was constructed in a simple Greek Revival clapboarded
style by Welsh immigrants, who had helped build the first
steel mills and blast furnaces in the Mahoning Valley. The
sanctuary had windows with diamond-patterned translucent glass
in long double-hung windows, wood floor, horse-hair- plaster-on-wood-lath-walls,
and a coved ceiling. |
The
building was remodeled in 1887, and the facade updated with
the Queen Anne style using a new steeple, dormers and brackets.
A raised, semi-circular dais was added, and brass railings
installed.
After
the building suffered a sizable fire in October 1997, local
preservationists, carpenters' unions, church members, YSU
professors and architects rallied together to clean out the
debris and begin the rebuilding process. KeyBank sponsored
a volunteer day for the church. A 1927 pump organ and a baby
grand piano was stored off site along with other religious
furnishings, one third of the roof was rebuilt and reshingled,
and the south side of the building was resided. Wallpaper
was stripped and paint analyzed from the sanctuary. Three
different wall stencil patterns were found and traced.
Remaining
to be accomplished are: replacement of many of the windows,
walls painted and a new furnace and electrical system are
needed. |
