Downey Avenue Christian Church Founded 150 Years Ago

      On September 19, 1875, 40 people gathered for the very first formal religious service conducted in the new town of Irvington. With just a smattering of houses scattered here and there, the community welcomed what would be known as Butler University in 1875. Ovid Butler, the founder of the college, associated the university with the Disciples of Christ, a denomination founded in the United States in the early nineteenth century. The new administration building on campus had a chapel and it was in that room that the Disciples worshipped and prayed for 18 years. Most of the members came from the college, but services were open to all. Butler students were required to attend during those early years.

     The weather on that Sunday in 1875 turned cooler and into the 40s so Professor John O. Hopkins recommended that the congregants move into his classroom where it was warmer. He also preached the first sermon. Later that year, the church welcomed 87 charter members. Nearby, many local residents gathered at Pleasant Run Creek for baptisms. An Indianapolis News article in 1879 reported that the church baptized 30 new members in the icy stream. As both the town and the college grew, the Disciples needed a larger space. That dream became a reality in 1893 with the dedication of a new brick church located at 111 South Downey Avenue. 

The chapel in the Administration Building (Butler Hall) served as the first space for members of the Disciples of Christ in Irvington to worship. (photo courtesy of the Irvington Historical Society)

The Brick Church (1893-1952)

     On September 5, 1892, church members broke ground at 111 South Downey Avenue for their first sanctuary away from the Butler campus. Designed by William F. Sharpe of Crawfordsville, Indiana, and erected by J.H. Jameson, the brick structure had several gables and a bell tower. At the dedication ceremony on April 9, 1893, congregants sat on carved oak pews and heard a sermon by the Reverend Carey E. Morgan, a Butler University graduate. Many of his former teachers sat in the pews before him.   

     Participation in the church swelled with the new facility. In 1914, the board added an education building just south of the church. The arrival of the Christian Board of Missions nearby also increased membership as many employees attended services at Downey Avenue Christian Church. Sunday schools, Boy Scout troops, and Camp Fire Girls increased the participation of younger Irvington residents in the church. 

     With the church population rising and repairs needed on the 59-year-old structure, the board of directors made the surprising decision to tear down the brick structure for a modern stone edifice.  There is no evidence that church members disapproved of this decision although it was likely that a few might have mourned the loss of the pretty church. 

       

Sketch in the Indianapolis News, February 24, 1892, p. 6

View of Downey Avenue Christian Church from South Downey Avenue looking north towards Julian and Downey Avenues in 1952 (photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

Downey Avenue Christian Church in 1952 from Julian Avenue; You will note the Education Building was  just south of the structure. (photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

Members of the Downey Avenue Christian Church at 111 South Downey Avenue could enter through doors on Julian or Downey Avenues. This photo was likely taken in 1952. Frederick William (Bill) Wiegmann served as the minister. (photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

Easter services in 1952 served as the final time that Downey Avenue Christian Church members attended worship in the brick church. The structure was razed shortly after this service. (photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

Members of a Sunday School program posed for this photograph in 1934 at the Downey Avenue Christian Church at 111 South Downey Avenue. (Photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

The Stone Church (1953--?)

     After the board decided to build a new church building, they hired Edward J. Clark to design the new structure. The architect had designed numerous churches in Indiana including the nearby Linwood Avenue Christian Church at 4424 East Michigan Street. The new church, a "modified" Gothic, was to be clad in limestone from southern Indiana. With a seating capacity for 475 people in the main hall, Clark also added room for 375 additional people in "Fellowship Hall." He included a youth chapel, rumpus rooms, and parlors. The cost came in at $250,000. 

     On a snowy Sunday morning on December 14, 1952, hundreds of church members gathered on the site for the cornerstone laying. Paul F. Brown, the board president, presided while Frederick W. Wiegmann and other dignitaries offered prayers and words. Ida Lamberson Russell, who had the distinction of being present at the 1893 dedication, "helped" to put the stone in place. Also assisting was Hilton U. Brown, the venerable publisher of the Indianapolis News. Both of them had witnessed Irvington grow from a small village into a thriving neighborhood. Several members placed items into the cornerstone box. John D.  Bruckman added a bible. Other items included an invitation to the 1893 dedication, a ceremonial shovel used to break ground, and various church programs. 

     The sanctuary opened in 1953 and for 72 years, the structure has been part of the neighborhood. In 2005, the congregation had a shock when an arsonist attempted to damage the building. Quick work by the fire department saved the structure allowing the congregation to restore the church. The Downey Avenue Christian Church is the oldest denomination within the boundaries of Irvington followed by the Irvington Methodist Church and First Baptist Church. On December 7, 2025, the congregation will be hosting a special service celebrating 150 years in operation with a reception afterwards. 

Frederick William Wiegmann, Francis W. Payne, and Paul F. Brown placed the ceremonial box into the cornerstone on December 14, 1952. We do not know the name of the boy in the photo so if you recognize him, let us know! Behind the crowd, you can see the Creighton Apartments located on the northwest corner of Julian and Downey Avenues. (photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

On December 14, 1952, Downey Avenue Christian Church members gathered to lay the cornerstone of their new church. Beyond the group you can see the former Scot Butler home at 124 South Downey Avenue. In 1952, the house served as the American Legion Post No. 38. To the north of that house you can see the side of 5339 Julian Avenue. That home along with the Butler residence and another house at 5319 Julian Ave were torn down to make way for the new mid-century Board of Church Extension structure. (Photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

On December 14, 1952, Downey Avenue Christian Church members filed past their new building under construction. Behind the beams, you can see the former educational building that had served the church since 1914. It was later razed for a new fellowship hall. (photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

Workers placed beams into position for the new Downey Avenue Christian Church in 1952. Behind the crew you can see the Creighton Apartments and homes along both Julian and Downey Avenues. (Photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

Workers for E. B. Ball finished the new Downey Avenue Christian Church in 1953. (photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

Associate Minister Enos Nelson preached to a packed congregation at the Downey Avenue Christian Church in 1953. (photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

Teens gathered for a Friday night dance in Fellowship Hall adjacent to the church c1955 (photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

The board added a new education wing to the church in 1962. (Photo courtesy of Don Rouse)

The congregation added beautiful stained glass windows to the sanctuary in 1975 in honor of the centennial of the church. (photo courtesy of Don Rouse) 

     I wish to thank Don Rouse for his generosity in loaning me photos for this post, and for providing key historical information.

Sources: George Earle Owen,  A Century of Witness: A History of the Downey Avenue Christian Church, 1875-1975, Indianapolis, 1975; Early Years--"City News," March 31, 1879, 4; Brick Church--"A New Church in Irvington," Indianapolis News, September 5, 1892, p. 2; "Irvington's New Church," Indianapolis News, December 24, 1892, 6; "New House of Worship," Indianapolis Journal, April 10, 1893, 3; "Irvington Church Dedicated," Indianapolis News, April 10, 1893, p. 6; Stone Church--"Downey Avenue to Break Ground," Indianapolis News, May 3, 1952, 4; "Downey Avenue to Lay Stone," Indianapolis News, December 13, 1952, 3; "New Irvington Church Ceremony to be Tomorrow," Indianapolis Star, December 13, 1952, 12; "Downey Avenue Congregation to Dedicate New Edifice," Indianapolis Star, October 31, 1953, 10; Architect--"Edward J. Clark Dies: Designed Many Churches," Indianapolis Star, January 29, 1965, 9. 

Irving Circle Park in the 1930s

      Harvey and Ada Belle McCord along with two of their children moved into the double at 5706 University Avenue in the spring of 1932. One of the perks of living at that address included the nearby Irving Circle Park. Shortly after relocating from Seymour, Indiana to Irvington, Ada Belle McElroy McCord (1871-1952) and her sister Myrtle McElroy Wiley (1887-1934) walked a few steps from the McCord home to a bench in the park. The sisters had grown up in a large family near Lancaster in Jefferson County, Indiana. What were the two women chatting about as they sat on the bench? Myrtle might have spoken of her two children or her life as a widow. Ada Belle might have talked about life in the neighborhood or her worries about her daughter Pauline, who had tuberculosis. Perhaps they kept it on the surface and talked of the weather or of the lovely park. Behind the women, you can see the double located at 245-247 South Audubon Road. The 1932 Polk's Indianapolis City Directory indicates that Harry L and Myrtle Ball lived at 245 South Audubon while Mrs. Margaret Myers resided at 247 South Audubon. Did either a member of the Ball or Myers families see the McElroy sisters in the park that day? 

Myrtle McElroy Wiley and her sister, Ada Belle McElroy McCord relaxed on a park bench in the Irving Circle Park in 1932. (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton)

     In a much clearer image, members of the McCord and Cox family posed for a family photo at the Irving Circle Park during the spring of 1938. Ada Belle McCord, who is in the center of the photo, was the mother of Emma McCord Lawton (left) and Gladys McCord Cox (right). Below her gaze, you can see her grandson, William Lawton, in a baby carriage while her granddaughter, Linda Cox, stood next to her cousin. All of the folks in this photo lived nearby at 5706-5708 University Avenue. Tragically, eight-year-old Floyd Cox, the son of Gladys Cox, is not in the photograph as he died of anterior poliomyelitis  on August 5, 1937.  One of the remarkable aspects of this photo, for the sake of historical documentation, is the view of the fountain basin for the Irving Circle Park. It used to be quite low and there was a "geyser" in the middle that shot up a single spout of water. 

Emma McCord Lawton, Ada Belle McCord, Gladys McCord Cox, William Lawton (in the carriage), and Linda Cox posed for a photograph in the Irving Circle Park in 1938 (photo courtesy of Steve Lawton) 

In the 1990s, the neighborhood reimagined the basin and fountain in the Irving Circle Park. (Photo by Bill Gulde on September 14, 2021)

Sources: Information for this post came from the unpublished family history researched and written by Steve Lawton, the grandson of Harvey and Ada Belle McCord. I also consulted the 1937 Polk's Indianapolis City Directory for information pertaining to 245-247 South Audubon Road.