herr2ck: Gate Keeping

February 2026.

While driving north from Southwood Elementary School, also in Merion Village, I happened upon this curiously eclectic church. Little did I know that it was a Yost & Packard design that was unknown to me at the time. It has been pretty heavily altered, but some of the historic features still shine through.

Gates-4th United Methodist Church is located at 119 East Gates Street in the Merion Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by Gates Street to the north, 4th Street to the west, and houses all around.

History

Gates-4th United Methodist on the 1901 Sanborn map. 4th Street was known as Mozart Street at the time. (Library of Congress)

Like usual with these niche Y&P designs, there isn’t much available history about Gates-4th United Methodist. The Grandview/Marble Cliff Historical Society, which catalogs much of Yost & Packard’s built work, gives it a date of May 3, 1896. The Columbus Metropolitan Library corroborates this as the day of its dedication. However, the 1901 Sanborn map indicates that the building was constructed as the 2nd German Methodist Episcopal Church. It is a simpler Romanesque Revival design versus the firm’s more ostentatious Richardsonian Romanesque buildings, but its massive roof lantern is certainly a memorable feature.

The 2nd German Methodist Episcopal congregation was established as an offshoot of the Livingston Methodist Church, presumably soon before this church was built. (That congregation still exists at 200 E Livingston, but their original Gothic Revival church was demolished for I-70.) At first, the church had 45 families, and its first pastor was Rev. Lewis Graessle. One source claims that it is one of the few German-speaking churches left in Columbus.

Snippet of the 1921 Sanborn map, showing the building’s addition. (Library of Congress)

By 1921, the church’s exterior had been stuccoed, and an addition was built onto the southeast end. As of 1961, from that year’s Sanborn map, the present congregation acquired the church. Another addition was built onto the north end of the first one, which was still similar in style to the original building and was probably completed soon after 1921.

A 1945 postcard of the church. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

The church building has been altered during its lifetime. Originally a brick building, the exterior has been covered in stucco, which is now painted white. The original stained-glass windows are intact, but they are obscured by dark panes in front. Most recently, the sanctuary was renovated between 2022 and 2023. This included plaster and window restoration, but added a floor below the clerestory windows for use as a “dance floor.”

Today, the church is also known as simply “Gates-4th Church,” as the current pastor is gay and hosts gay marriages inside. The United Methodist Church does not allow either of these things, so the congregation has made efforts to distance itself from the antiquated views of its parent organization.

Photos

Here is an oblique view from the corner of Gates and 4th today--compare this to the above postcard:

It is pretty much the same minus the window covers. The main body of the church is symmetrical with two cross gables, and the main entrance has a shorter crenellated tower. Most prominent is the massive roof lantern on top, which has a widely overhanging gable ending in a finial.

The smaller corner tower:

Seems like Yost & Packard ripped it straight from a Norman castle in England or something:

Belfry and castellated top:

The building’s cornerstone is at the corner of this tower, which reads “1895.”

Here’s an interesting detail…the doors have transom windows above with “A” and “ꭥ,” which is from Biblical lore meaning God is the beginning and end of everything.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega…”

4th Street side:

Transom window:

The gray weather matching the exterior reminded me of my trip to the Church on Como in Clintonville.

The large windows centered on the transepts are two smaller triforas nestled within a larger one--a move Y&P also used on Pilgrim Missionary Baptist in King-Lincoln Bronzeville, albeit at a larger scale:

This portion is the post-1921 addition, which seems to be used as offices today. The colored glass is interesting, but the rest is pretty unremarkable:

Detail of the windows:

Get ready to see a lot of photos of this roof lantern in a bit. I liked the way the trees framed it here.

I tried to get a straight-on view, but my camera autofocused on the branches instead.

The 4th Street facade:

The main body of the church is the same as the Gates side, but the rectory/offices are a bit different. It’s pretty interesting how the roof lantern domineers an otherwise humbly statured building.

Lots of fun angles intersecting here:

The clerestory windows are original, too. A dance floor in this space would undoubtedly be cool, but it eliminates the windows’ architectural function.