TOWERING REPAIRS: Restoration work takes place high above McMinnville

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard (McMinnville, Tenn.)

With a massive renovation project taking place at First United Methodist Church on Main Street, local resident Mark Gribble saw it as a perfect photo opportunity. With the help of a 150-foot crane, Gribble got a bird’s eye view of downtown McMinnville.

One of the more improbable facts about First United Methodist Church on Main Street is the building still has its original roof.

After 117 years, the roof may still be going strong, but the rest of the church is beginning to show its age. That’s why the building is currently undergoing a $60,000 renovation project that hasn’t been too difficult to spot.

Using the services of a 150-foot crane, which has carried workers high above McMinnville, restoration specialists from Franklin are currently performing a number of church repairs.

“We decided we would restore the steeple and all the metal work around the front,” said Melvin Maxwell, a member of the church for 56 years and the chairman of the board of trustees. “We would like to do some redecorating work inside, but we don’t need to do that until we take care of the water coming in around the steeple and around the fancy work along the front.”

Leatherwood, Inc., which specializes in historic restoration, vintage log homes and museum services, has been on the job about three weeks. With the help of the 150-foot crane, workers were easy to see last week as they painted the steeple. They have also replaced deteriorating wood and reworked windows, which were being supported by the deteriorating wood.

First United Methodist Church has a rich history when it comes to downtown McMinnville. Its current lot was purchased for $1,100 in 1884 and the church was built in 1886.

In 1887, church membership stood at 151 people and the annual salary for the preacher was $700.

More recently, the congregation paid $44,000 to install a new organ in 1970. And in 1998, the church bought the property one door down which had formerly been Family Foodtown. Architectural designs are currently in hand to relieve that building of its grocery store appearance and make it look more like a church.

Current minister Bob Case is a Warren County native who grew up in the congregation. He preached at several smaller churches before returning to First United Methodist in 1996. Church membership is now 760.

The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places earlier this year.