A Brief History of Dover Place
DOVER PLACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Betty Treiber, Church Historian
In October of 1896, in a hall in an historical neighborhood of south St. Louis, 17 people gathered to form a new church to be called the Carondelet Christian Church.
Several years of struggles and moving from place to place caused the small group to be rather disheartened until the Reverend Gilbert E. Ireland was called as pastor. Soon the small church began to settle in and became a real entity in the neighborhood.
Locating a lot at Dover Place and Alabama Avenue, the congregation were finally able to build a Sunday school building. In 1907 they held the first service and worship there until a sanctuary could be built. It was then that the name was changed to Dover Place Christian Church.
The beautiful new sanctuary was dedicated in December, 1933. It faced Dover Place and adjoined the older building so as to appear as one unit. The oak paneling and pews, along with the muted colors of the stained glass windows lent a feeling of calm and peace to all who entered. The approximate cost was $25,000.
A congregation of hard-working, dedicated persons brought the church through the years to the glorious celebration of its Centennial year in 1996.
Life at Dover Place Christian Church marches on and now the 115th year will bring new dreams, new hopes and more dedication to a still bright future for the "little church around the corner" in the area of Carondelet in south St. Louis.
For more Dover Place History visit: http://www.doverplacecc.org/about-us/our-history/dover-place-history.html
For a complete list of the Pastors at Dover Place visit: http://www.doverplacecc.org/about-us/our-history/our-pastors.html