St. Mark United Methodist Church

Saint Mark Methodist Church is one of the few remaining Gothic Revival granite churches in Atlanta, Georgia. The current building was constructed from 1902 to 1903 after the congregation of Merritts Avenue Methodist Church outgrew their old building. The architecture is notable for its use of Stone Mountain granite, triple entrance portal, and pot-metal stained-glass windows.The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is also designated as a historic building by the City of Atlanta.HistoryThe architect, Willis F. Denny also constructed two other granite Methodist churches that survive today. The congregation chose the location for Saint Mark Methodist Church to give them more room and to be in a less dangerous location than the "Tight Squeeze" area beyond the city limits. The twelve pictorial stained-glass works depicting scenes from the life of Jesus were installed gradually from 1909 to 1959. In the early 1990s the church was on the verge of closing but the congregation ended up swelling to more than 1700 members during the decade. A fifteen-year series of renovations to the main sanctuary was completed in 2008.