3 East Devonshire Street, Southside Methodist Episcopal Church/ Central Terrace United Methodist Church, 1925, 1957

Founded in 1901, the Southside Methodist Episcopal Church had strong ties to Centenary Methodist Church in downtown Winston. Originating in the Centerville School, the church built a sanctuary at 701 East Sprague Street in 1902. (It is still standing today, and has housed several congregations over the years.) In 1923, trustees began raising money for a larger structure, soon purchasing lots from the Central Terrace Company. In 1924, the congregation moved to the current site and held services in several small school buildings, called the “chicken coops,” until the new building was under roof in 1925. At this point, the church “unofficially” became known as Central Terrace Methodist Church. In 1968, the name was officially changed to Central Terrace Methodist Church with the consolidation of the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren denominations. Growth of the congregation eventually necessitated a 1954 renovation of the sanctuary and the 1958 addition of an education building designed by the architectural firm Stinson-Arey-Hall.

The two-story brick Neoclassical Revival style building has a front gable roof and a monumental, full-height, tetrastyle (four) portico supported by Ionic columns and pilasters. A small center lunette ornaments the pediment. Tall, arched, stained-glass windows surround the double-leaf entrance and its classical entablature, and illuminate the sanctuary’s first three bays on the side elevations. Windows also feature cast stone keystones, spring blocks, and sills. Additional classical details include denticulated bands under the stepped cornice and pedimented gables; corner brick quoins; and a brick soldier course at the cornice and water table. The belfry includes a hexagonal base and pointed spire with Tuscan style columns and blind fanlight.