Filed Under Miles City

Methodist Church, Miles City

Carriage House Historic District

In 1910, the Methodists hired a New York fundraising firm to raise funds for a new, larger church to replace the 1883 building. The growing congregation raised $14,000 and neighbor C. J. Wagenbreth donated the needed capital to complete the project, providing that no bell be hung in the belfry. Wagenbreth, not wanting to be awoken by bells, offered this deal, a steeple but no bells. Designed by the architectural firm of Woodruff and McGulpin in 1912, the Methodist Church stands as a visual reminder of the growth of Miles City and is an important neighborhood anchor. The building exhibits eclectic architectural influences, including Romanesque Revival windows, crenellated Gothic battlements, and early Christian or Tudor massing. Decorative round-arched Romanesque openings complement the bell tower and the design carries over to the main level windows. Each opening is highlighted with painted wood mullions and cusps that form a pair of arches with circular openings surrounded by brick. The only structure in Miles City designed by the firm, the design bears similarities to Brynjulf Rivenes’ Presbyterian Church on Main Street.

Images

Methodist Church, Miles City
Methodist Church, Miles City Methodist Church, Miles City. Front to side view of the church building, facing southeast at the intersection of North 11th Street and Pleasant Street. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Dena Sanford and Susan McDaniel Date: 1987
Methodist Church, Miles City
Methodist Church, Miles City Methodist Church, Miles City. Church in 1915, Schlichting photograph from A. Buchanan's "Seeing Miles City." Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Schlichting Date: 1915
Methodist Church, Miles City
Methodist Church, Miles City Methodist Church, Miles City. Front to side view of the church building, facing southeast. Source: Photograph Archives/Montana State Historic Preservation Office (949-270) Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: Ca. 1918
Methodist Church, Miles City
Methodist Church, Miles City Methodist Church, Miles City. Rear to side view of the church building, facing north to northeast on North 11th Street. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Dena Sanford and Susan McDaniel Date: 1987

Location

24 North 11th Street, Miles City, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Methodist Church, Miles City,” Historic Montana, accessed October 6, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/256.