This First United Methodist Church replaced a stone chapel that had survived the flood of 1889 with survivors clinging to its roof, some for as long as two days, but it could not survive a growth in membership. The rusticated brownstone church, one of the largest in the city, has a cruciform plan with a broad central polygonal tower that almost engulfs the arms. Squat pyramidal-roofed towers mark each corner of the church and are roofed in clay tile. Inside, the domed central tower rises above the Akron plan sanctuary. This church has played a pivotal role in the formation of modern Methodism. It was the site of the 1946 merger between the Evangelical and the United Brethren churches. On the fiftieth anniversary of that event, the First United Methodist Church was made a Heritage Landmark of the United Methodist Conference, one of only thirty-nine worldwide and the only one in western Pennsylvania.