History of UCUMC
On March 14, 2010, after considerable discussion and proper evaluation, the congregations of First United Methodist Church and Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church voted to combine congregations to form University Circle United Methodist. The church worships in the former Epworth-Euclid building on the corner of East 107thand Chester Avenues at the gateway to University Circle – Cleveland’s premier urban district and world-class center of innovation in health care, education, arts and culture.
In addition to UCUMC, University Circle is home to the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, the Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Natural History Museum and the Cleveland Institute of Music and Institute of Art, among many more points of interest.
Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church (previous name of church building shown, above)
Epworth-Euclid, as its hyphenated name suggests, experienced several mergers in its past. The original church, Euclid Avenue Methodist Church, was formally organized in 1827 with 21 members who met in an old frame schoolhouse. Subsequently, they built three structures, of which the last at 93rdand Euclid became Euclid Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in 1887.
In May of 1889 another Cleveland congregation, Central Methodist Church, organized the first Epworth League, which became a national association of Methodist Church young adults established for the purpose of "promoting intelligent and vital piety among the young people of the church." When Central Methodist Church dedicated a new building in 1893, they became Epworth Memorial Methodist Church. Two years later, a smaller church, Scoville Methodist Episcopal, became a part of Epworth Memorial.
In the next century, in 1920, Euclid Avenue Methodist Church and Epworth Memorial Methodist merged and eventually built the cathedral-like church currently in University Circle on the corner of East 107thand Chester Avenue. Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue of New York was the architect engaged to design Epworth-Euclid Church. Surveying the land and noting its impressive command of the nearby lagoon, Mr. Goodhue etched his first design concept of the church on the back of a menu in the nearby Clark’s Coffee Shop. He visualized an edifice reminiscent of Mont Saint Michel, a famous French church located atop a rise near the coast of Normandy, resulting in structures that are strikingly similar.
Mr. Goodhue died before his work was completed. But, his Cleveland associates – the architectural firm of Walker and Weekes, later builders of Severance Hall across the lagoon – completed construction of Epworth-Euclid Methodist Church, dedicated on June 3, 1928. At the dedication, a speaker commented that Epworth-Euclid “in its beautiful setting worthily typifies the splendid history, fruitful service and lofty aspirations of this noble church. Through it, the community will be increasingly inspired and blessed.”
Solidly constructed of Plymouth seam-faced granite, Epworth-Euclid seemed to personify the magnificent hymn “A Mighty Fortress.” Along the exterior of the building are many meaningful and symbolic works of sculpture, ranging from Old Testament icons to Methodist Church bishops. And the stained-glass windows present an extensive and magnificent study of scriptural figures from both the Old and New Testaments.
In 1961, the 175-member congregation of Wade Park Methodist Episcopal Church at East 86thStreet and Wade Park voted to join Epworth-Euclid as yet another merger in the church's history.
With the arrival of 2010 came the blending of the First United Methodist Church congregation, formerly located at the corner of East 30thand Euclid Avenue in Cleveland’s center city, with Epworth-Euclid's congregation to form the new University Circle United Methodist Church.
First United Methodist Church
In the early 1800s, for an annual salary of $100, Methodist circuit-riding preachers would travel 600 miles a year on the Hudson Circuit to spread the “Good Word." And many were interested in indoctrinating pagan Cleveland's young frontier with the message of Jesus Christ.
In 1827, Joel Sizer, the first Methodist preacher, arrived in the village of Cleveland. Under the direction of his sister, Abigail, and him, the First Methodist Society of Cleveland was founded, to later become the First Methodist Church.
In 1830, although the village's Methodist church had grown sufficiently enough to become a “station,” pro-slavery members seceded to organize another Methodist Church nearby. This sad split over slavery caused First Church to revert for a while to the “circuit” church category.
But in 1835, construction started on thefirst First Methodist Church building at the corner of St. Clair Avenue and Wood Street (now East 3rd). One of the members described the new structure in the following way: “The church is on the outskirts of the city. Nearly all the ground north to the lake shore is covered with oak trees and bushes east to Erie Street [presently East 9th]. Beyond this lies a vast quagmire, enlivening the city with a peculiar kind of music.”
By 1842, First Methodist Church claimed 90 members in its parish. Around 1869, as the St. Clair church building began to deteriorate, the church paid off its mortgage, sold the property and built a new structure on the corner of Euclid Avenue and Erie Street (presently East 9th) for $10,500. By the turn of the 20thcentury, the location at Euclid and East 9thwas considered “downtown” with residences being replaced by businesses. So, the membership decided it was time to relocate and in 1903 began construction of the church building at the corner of Sterling Street (East 30th) and Euclid Avenue on what was then known as Millionaire’s Row. Eighteen months later at a cost of $309,000, the present-day building was completed.
In 2010, after much prayerful consideration and extensive evaluation and discussion, the congregations of First United Methodist Church and Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church voted to combine congregations to form University Circle United Methodist. The First Church congregation vacated the East 30thbuilding to worship with the former Epworth-Euclid congregation in their church structure.
In May, 2010, UCUMC achieved an agreement with Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District for the development of a Campus International School – an innovative alternative school program internationally recognized for high standards and academic rigor; to include classrooms for children in kindergarten and first and second grades in the rear half of the E. 30th building.
Currently, the First Church sanctuary provides worship space for the Euclid Avenue Congregational Church whose building located at E. 96thand Euclid was completely destroyed by fire in March of 2010.
