St. James House of Prayer Episcopal Church
Encyclopedia
St. James House of Prayer Episcopal Church, also known as the Episcopal House of Prayer, is an active Episcopal
parish
and historic church building in Tampa
, Florida
, USA. It is located at 2708 Central Avenue in the city's Tampa Heights
neighborhood. On February 21, 1991, the building was added to the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
. The structure is also included as an official contributing property
within the Tampa Heights Historic District
, which was declared a Historic District
nationally by the United States Department of the Interior
on August 4, 1995, and locally by the city of Tampa on September 7, 2000. Additionally, the building is one of only two churches to have been designated a Local Landmark Structure by the city of Tampa.
of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida
, which is within Province 4 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion
.
The congregation officially formed in 1997 through the merger of two long established congregations, St. James Episcopal Church and The House of Prayer Episcopal Church. The merger of the two was made after the former St. James Church property was chosen as the site for the new Blake High School
. Meanwhile, The House of Prayer had lost their rector and parish status after a decline in membership. Joining the two congregations was mutually beneficial, matching the parishioners in need of a priest with the priest in need of a pulpit. The union resulted in full parish status being conferred upon the new St. James House of Prayer in 2001.
The original St. James Episcopal was organized in 1895 as an Anglican Episcopal Church for the city's black population. At that time, segregation
was the norm, and many black Bahamian
and Cuba
n immigrants were arriving in Tampa to work in the cigar industry. St. James Episcopal Church would go on to serve Tampa's African-American community for more than a century.
Nearly as old was Tampa's third white Episcopal church, the House of Prayer, founded in 1907. The church served the population of Tampa Heights
, and by 1926 was named a parish by the local diocese. The House of Prayer went on to become one of Tampa's first racially integrated churches in the 1960s, but within the next decade much of its membership moved away as the Tampa Heights neighborhood had entered a period of serious decline. Efforts to reverse the downward trend in the neighborhood began in the 1990s, resulting in the establishment of the Tampa Heights Historic District
at both the local and national levels.
church, including a tower, battlements, and stained glass windows. The church building is unique in its construction, with 16 inches (406.4 mm) concrete walls on the interior, and exterior walls composed entirely of flint rock, stacked with mortar. The rocks were collected from the bottom of the Hillsborough River
where it empties into the bay, however, the rocks did not occur there naturally. The rocks came from all around the world aboard the sailing ships of centuries past, and wound up in Tampa as the ships discarded ballast from their hulls. Because of the striking stonework exterior, the building is occasionally referred to as "The Rock Church."
The building's official listing with the National Register of Historic Places
is under the name "Episcopal House of Prayer", since the historic status was determined prior to the merger of churches which created today's St. James House of Prayer Episcopal Church.
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
and historic church building in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, USA. It is located at 2708 Central Avenue in the city's Tampa Heights
Tampa Heights (Tampa), Florida
Tampa Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods within the city limits of Tampa that's situated in the central part of the city. As of the 2000 census, the neighborhood had a population of 16,393.-Description:...
neighborhood. On February 21, 1991, the building was added to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The structure is also included as an official contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
within the Tampa Heights Historic District
Tampa Heights Historic District
The Tampa Heights Historic District is a U.S. historic district in Tampa, Florida. It is bounded by Adalee Street, I-275, 7th Avenue and North Tampa Avenue, encompasses approximately , and contains 289 historic buildings. On August 4, 1995, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic...
, which was declared a Historic District
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
nationally by the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
on August 4, 1995, and locally by the city of Tampa on September 7, 2000. Additionally, the building is one of only two churches to have been designated a Local Landmark Structure by the city of Tampa.
Parish history
St. James House of Prayer is an active parish under the Tampa DeaneryDeanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida
Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida
The Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in Florida which extends from Marco Island on the south, to Brooksville on the north, and inland to Plant City, Arcadia and LaBelle on the east...
, which is within Province 4 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Province 4 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
Province 4 , also known as the Province of Sewanee, is one of nine ecclesiastical provinces making up the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The largest of the provinces of the Episcopal Church, it is composed of twenty dioceses in nine Southeastern states...
, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
.
The congregation officially formed in 1997 through the merger of two long established congregations, St. James Episcopal Church and The House of Prayer Episcopal Church. The merger of the two was made after the former St. James Church property was chosen as the site for the new Blake High School
Howard W. Blake High School
Howard W. Blake High School formerly known as Don Thompson Vocational High School is a public high school in located in Tampa, Florida. In 1997, the school moved to its current location.-School history:...
. Meanwhile, The House of Prayer had lost their rector and parish status after a decline in membership. Joining the two congregations was mutually beneficial, matching the parishioners in need of a priest with the priest in need of a pulpit. The union resulted in full parish status being conferred upon the new St. James House of Prayer in 2001.
The original St. James Episcopal was organized in 1895 as an Anglican Episcopal Church for the city's black population. At that time, segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
was the norm, and many black Bahamian
Demographics of the Bahamas
This article is about the demographic features of the population of The Bahamas, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n immigrants were arriving in Tampa to work in the cigar industry. St. James Episcopal Church would go on to serve Tampa's African-American community for more than a century.
Nearly as old was Tampa's third white Episcopal church, the House of Prayer, founded in 1907. The church served the population of Tampa Heights
Tampa Heights (Tampa), Florida
Tampa Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods within the city limits of Tampa that's situated in the central part of the city. As of the 2000 census, the neighborhood had a population of 16,393.-Description:...
, and by 1926 was named a parish by the local diocese. The House of Prayer went on to become one of Tampa's first racially integrated churches in the 1960s, but within the next decade much of its membership moved away as the Tampa Heights neighborhood had entered a period of serious decline. Efforts to reverse the downward trend in the neighborhood began in the 1990s, resulting in the establishment of the Tampa Heights Historic District
Tampa Heights Historic District
The Tampa Heights Historic District is a U.S. historic district in Tampa, Florida. It is bounded by Adalee Street, I-275, 7th Avenue and North Tampa Avenue, encompasses approximately , and contains 289 historic buildings. On August 4, 1995, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic...
at both the local and national levels.
Church building
The historic church building was erected in 1922 and dedicated in February, 1923. The Reverend William C. Richardson, MD, a retired physician-turned-priest, personally spearheaded the construction of the church, even purchasing and donating the land. He selected architect Louis A. Fort to design the Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
church, including a tower, battlements, and stained glass windows. The church building is unique in its construction, with 16 inches (406.4 mm) concrete walls on the interior, and exterior walls composed entirely of flint rock, stacked with mortar. The rocks were collected from the bottom of the Hillsborough River
Hillsborough River (Florida)
The Hillsborough River is a river located in the state of Florida in the USA. It arises in the Green Swamp near the juncture of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, and flows through Pasco and Hillsborough Counties to an outlet in the city of Tampa on Tampa Bay. The name Hillsborough River first...
where it empties into the bay, however, the rocks did not occur there naturally. The rocks came from all around the world aboard the sailing ships of centuries past, and wound up in Tampa as the ships discarded ballast from their hulls. Because of the striking stonework exterior, the building is occasionally referred to as "The Rock Church."
The building's official listing with the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
is under the name "Episcopal House of Prayer", since the historic status was determined prior to the merger of churches which created today's St. James House of Prayer Episcopal Church.
See also
- Episcopal Diocese of Southwest FloridaEpiscopal Diocese of Southwest FloridaThe Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in Florida which extends from Marco Island on the south, to Brooksville on the north, and inland to Plant City, Arcadia and LaBelle on the east...
- Tampa Heights Historic DistrictTampa Heights Historic DistrictThe Tampa Heights Historic District is a U.S. historic district in Tampa, Florida. It is bounded by Adalee Street, I-275, 7th Avenue and North Tampa Avenue, encompasses approximately , and contains 289 historic buildings. On August 4, 1995, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic...