Holy Innocents Protestant Episcopal Church
| Holy Innocents Protestant Episcopal Church | |
|---|---|
| |
| Site Information | |
| Address | 1100 N Eden St |
| Geo-reference | 39°18′12″N 76°35′59″W / 39.30323°N 76.59975°W |
| Building Data | |
| Building Type | Church |
| Design | |
| Architect | Frank E. Davis |
| Construction | |
| Completed | 1880 |
What’s now the Grace Memorial Baptist Church was built as the Holy Innocents Protestant Episcopal Church. Designed in the Gothic Revival style, this granite building was the first stone structure of its kind built in this neighborhood. It has a long nave with projecting transepts at either end, and it’s anchored by a corner tower at Chase and Eden Streets. The nave is divided into three bays, separated by buttresses, and lit by paired lancet windows. Each transept has a central window, and a similar window lights the nave from the front of the church. The church’s entrance on the north end of its east facade is set within a projecting Gothic portico, whose arch is echoed at the south end by an entrance to the tower. In 1897, the Sun announced the church’s plans for a new rectory and parish house. In 1925, the Sun reported that the church had experienced its first fire. Reverend William E. Glanville was sleeping in the nearby rectory when he smelled smoke. He called the fire department and rescued the vestments. Three years later, the Sun reported that Grace Memorial Baptist Church bought the church and rectory. In 2018, another fire broke out during Sunday service. Everyone exited the church safely, but flames almost destroyed its roof, rendering it unusable. The next day, Reverend Marshall Lee Barnes reported that the church would be rebuilt, and in the meantime, more than 50 Baltimore churches offered space for Grace Memorial’s services.
