BNHA Douglas Memorial Community Church (Madison Ave. M.E. Church)
Affiliations
Baltimore City Landmark
National Register of Historic Places
Interpretive Framework
Gaining Freedom for All: African American Heritage and the Struggle for Equality
Shaping a Monumental City: The City’s Growth in the 20th Century
Star Attractions
Pennsylvania Avenue Heritage Trail
Resource Type
Points of Interest
1325 Madison Ave
Baltimore, Maryland 21217
Douglass Memorial Community Church split from Bethel AME in 1925.Douglass’ long-time pastor, Dr. Marion Bascom, was intimately involved in the push for civil rights in Baltimore.
Designed by Thomas Balbirnie in the Greek Revival style as the Madison Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in 1857, the Douglas Memorial Community Church is one of the oldest public buildings in West Baltimore. Granite stairs and iron railings lead to the upper level main entrance. The brick columns sit on cast-iron bases and have a fluted cement stucco finish from the base to their Corinthian sandstone capitals. Several gas fixtures can still be found here. Red sandstone or “brownstone” sills and Greek Revival bracketed cornices trim the doorways and window openings. Similar styles are repeated in the interior chancel and balconies. Reportedly built and installed by E. & G. Hook in 1866, the church’s organ stands with many of its original pipes.