
The city’s first Methodist congregation, established in 1807, occupied the Wesley Chapel—originally on northeast corner of Lincoln and South Broad streets (the latter now Oglethorpe Avenue), since demolished—from 1812 to 1850 prior to moving here. Filling the east half of a trust lot (which formerly served as the private garden of the Telfair family), this restrained Greek Revival church maximizes its small site with its recessed portico of two colossal Corinthian columns in antis. It boasts the oldest preserved church interior in the city, which barely escaped the great fire of 1889 and was somewhat damaged by a 1991 fire that destroyed the Mclntire Building (1927) attached at the rear. The simple interior includes flanking galleries and an impressive organ case imitating the entrance portico.