Bethel Church Park
Bethel Church Park is a unique city park. It’s not a playground or a place to picnic. It’s not for hiking, jogging, fishing, or just enjoying nature and being outdoors. Instead, it is a place for quiet reflection, thought and remembrance. The park is designed to pay tribute to Bethel’s significant history, architecture, and the history of the Fourth Ward.
I love old churches. Churches are the center of many of our emotional memories. Celebrations of births, marriages, salvation and of life are all centered around the church. Old churches seem to bring back those memories of ours even if we’ve never been to that church before.
The History
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Bethel Missionary Baptist Church has a storied past. Freed slaves founded the church in 1891 in Houston’s historic Freedmen’s Town near downtown. The original wood-frame structure was destroyed in the 1900 “Great Storm”. Subsequently, the congregation rebuilt a similar structure which burned in 1920. They rebuilt again, this time with a brick Gothic Revival church, in 1923. To keep up with the growing congregation they expanded the church in 1950. In 1997 the congregation relocated due to the building being declared unsound. In 2005 a fire gutted the church leaving only the front façade and the side walls. Finally, the City of Houston acquired the land and building in 2009, stabilized the walls and began planning a public park, completing it in 2013.
I think it is fantastic that the City made the effort to save this bit of history. However, the building may still be in danger. The park is small and located in the middle of a neighborhood, not on main thoroughfares. As a result, it doesn’t get a lot of visitors. Coupled with the of gentrification of the neighborhood comes rising property values All this could make this land a target for redevelopment. Personally, I hope the City continues to protect and preserve it.
Leave A Comment And Share
What is your favorite memory of an old church? I would love to hear your comments and feedback. So, please leave a comment in the comment box below.
