Ames-Clair Hall
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Ames Methodist Church (Ames-Clair Hall)
1857, George Laudermilk. Northwest corner of North and Pump sts.
Board-and-batten siding, which virtually covers this small church, gives it a pronounced sense of verticality. A domed cupola straddles the gable, and though the entrance tries to achieve a classical distyle-in-antis form similar to that at the Baptist Church, here it is probably more accurate to describe the feature simply as a recessed porch. A balcony extends across the rear and along two-thirds of each side wall in the severely plain interior.
In 1891 an African American congregation purchased the church, and one of its members, Matthew Clair, became one of the first bishops of the denomination. After the congregation united with the Union United Methodist Church, the church was deeded to the Monroe County Historical Society, which has restored it for use as a meeting space and performance hall.
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