Ebenezer and Wesley Arnold: Church Builders

I always enjoy when my research interests collide. I first came across Wesley Arnold's name a couple decades ago, while cataloging the graduates from Syracuse University's architecture department when Joseph Silsbee was teaching there in the late 1870's and early 1880's. Several years later, I realized that I sort of followed in Arnold's footsteps, growing up in Syracuse and moving to Oak Park, Illinois. 

Last summer, I started to dig into Wesley Arnold's history a little more and became equally fascinated by his father, Ebenezer, an influential Methodist minister. This is a short post about the father and son and the way that they were each involved in church-making in the places where they lived.  

Ebenezer Arnold was born in 1816 in Bristol Massachusetts to Joshua and Elizabeth Arnold. Joshua was a school teacher and the Arnolds were devout Methodists. Elizabeth came from an affluent family and was disinherited because of her faith. Sometime before 1830, the family relocated to Oswego County, New York, eventually residing in Fulton. In 1836, Ebenezer married Lucretia Green.

It is unclear how and if Ebenezer was formally educated at divinity school but within a few of marying, he was appointed to the Black River Methodist Conference and them to Syracuse to be the first permanent pastor of the First Ward Methodist Episcopal Church there. He would eventually leave an indelible mark on the Methodist community there.

At First Ward Methodist Episcopal, he grew the parish to the point where they could afford to establish a substantial brick structure as their church. The congregation is no longer there but the church still stands today on Bear Street on Syracuse's North Side.  

Partial view of Lass' 1868 Birdseye View of Syracuse showing Salina (the First Ward). The First Ward Methodist church is in the upper right hand corner. Just to the left of it is the old Salina School. At the center left is Washington Park and the chimneys of the salt blocks can be seen in the foreground.

In the 1850's, Ebenezer's life reads more like a frontier TV show of the 1960's, complete with all the hardships and even a run-in with grizzly bear, as he traveled with his family to Northern California and Southern Oregon. In his years there, he established the roots of current Methodist churches by preaching in the open air and in make-shift churches to miners and indigenous populations there. 

After his time in the Northwest, the Arnolds returned to Syracuse and Ebenezer continued his work establishing new churches. A great account in the Syracuse Journal of his gift for forming new organizations can be seen in his establishment of the now defunct Rose Hill church in Syracuse. "In 1873 the Rev. Ebenezer Arnold, Methodist, held open-air religious services in Highland Park. He continued through the next summer in a barn loft in Hickory St. and in the home of Frank Frey in Lodi St. Conference recognized the mission in 1875, and Mr. Arnold was appointed pastor, continuing until 1877." 

Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, now gone, used to stand on West Street near W. Onondaga. The church was constructed in 1868, with some of the funds provided by L. Frank Baum's parents. It was designed by Horatio Nelson White.   

Brown Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, Syracuse. It was located to this site on land donated by local bridge-keeper and contractor Alexander Brown after a sermon by Ebenezer Arnold in 1873. The church shown was built around 1875. Photo from the Tin Type Shop.

Arnold formed Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church and was influential in establishing the current location of Brown Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, both in Syracuse. He must have had a particular gift and passion for this kind of work but I don't believe we will ever fully know his influence. It was noted on his wife's memorial stone that the family moved over 50 times because of Ebenezer's work for the church. Ebenezer died in 1900, of pneumonia. Below is a select listing of his Church affiliations.

Black River Conference (Potsdam, NY) - 1838

Old First Ward Methodist Episcopal (Syracuse, NY) First permanent pastor- 1840

White Church (Potsdam, NY) - 1845-47

Yreka (California) Church Elder - 1855

Mount Shasta (California) - 1856

Umpqua Academy (Oregon) Principal - 1858

St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal (Onondaga Valley) - 1860

Methodist Episcopal Church Society (Weedsport, NY) - 1863-65

Centenary Methodist Episcopal (Syracuse, NY) Founded - 1866

Brewerton Methodist Episcopal (Brewerton, NY) Founded - 1869

Brown Memorial Methodist Episcopal (Syracuse, NY) - 1873

Rose Hill Methodist Episcopal (Syracuse, NY) - 1875-77   

St. Regis Indian Mission (Watertown, NY) - 1887

Because of his stature in the Methodist church in Syracuse, it is assumed that Ebenezer Arnold was also influential in the establishment of Syracuse University in the city. He is listed as Trustee in the 1870's.

The Hall of Languages, the first building at the present Syracuse University. It was constructed in 1871 and designed by architect Horatio Nelson White.

One of Ebenezer's many children, Wesley Arnold, began studying architecture at Syracuse in 1873. Wesley was born in Jefferson County, New York in 1851. He must have had a difficult childhood as he traveled with his family while his father preached in California and Oregon. Sadly, two sets of infant twins died soon after birth in California and another sister, age 11, also died. By age 9, Wesley moved to Syracuse with his family and was enrolled in public school.

In addition to his architectural interests, Wesley was musically talented. He assisted in directing choirs associated with his father's churches. He was vocally gifted and can be found on numerous announcements for choral concerts at various churches and at Syracuse University. He had a particular talent for double-voice singing, where he could sing the distinct male and female parts of a song, together, in harmony. 

Advertisement for a concert featuring Wesley Arnold at the Wieting Opera House in Syracuse in 1872.

Wesley finished his first degree from Syracuse in 1876 and then spent several years in training before receiving his Master of Arts in Architecture in 1879. At Syracuse, your final years of training were spent within an architect's office. During Arnold's time at Syracuse, he would have had two choices: the office of Archimedes Russell or the office of Joseph Lyman Silsbee. It is not known where Arnold studied but given that I know many of the names of students of  in Silsbee's office, it is more likely that he studied with Archimedes Russell. Both Silsbee and Russell were at the top of the profession in Central New York and any architect studying under them would have been exposed to a wide variety of work in all of the latest styles. 

St. Lucy Roman Catholic Church, Syracuse, NY. This brick Gothic Revival structure was designed by Archimedes Russell and completed in 1875. Photo from Dave Agresti's Pinterest site.

First Dutch Reformed Church, Syracuse, NY. This Romanesque Revival structure was designed by Joseph Silsbee and constructed in 1878-79. 

Wesley Arnold remained in Syracuse until 1882, when he was married and moved to Evanston, Illinois and began work as a draftsperson for the Chicago and North Western Railroad. By 1885, his wife had died prematurely, and he had established his own practice in Chicago and was listed as an architect. In 1888, he constructed a home for himself in Oak Park, Illinois. By the mid 1880's, Arnold had established himself as a successful architect and was also continuing his work with church choirs. He was particularly involved with what is now as the Euclid Avenue United Methodist church in Oak Park.     

Wesley Arnold's home in Oak Park, Illinois, constructed in 1888.

Image of a Wesley Arnold home design used in an advertisement for his Chicago office in the 1880's.

It appears that his first church commission was for his own Oak park addition, for a renovation and addition. It is unclear what the work looked like as I haven't seen any photos of it. Another commission from this era was for the Sacramento Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church. It is his most elaborate surviving church in Chicago. Built in 1888-89, it is a tour de force of brick and stone. Unfortunately, its many turrets and towers have been removed but the exterior masonry is largely intact.   

The Sacramento Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1888-89.

Detail of arch and stone work at the Sacramento Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church.

Stone arches on the Sacramento Methodist Episcopal Church.

By the early 1890's, he had completed work on half a dozen churches for various Methodist and Congregational churches in Chicago. One of these that still stands in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood is the Fowler Methodist Episcopal church. The church is illustrative of his work at the time but since it is on a corner lot, it features a more varied massing and unique heavy masonry work. He adopted Richardson's Romanesque Revival style and added several unique elements that can be seen in many of his projects.  

Fowler Methodist Episcopal Church, in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood, designed by Wesley Arnold in 1891. The church features unique masonry details in Arnold's own interpretation of the popular Romanesque Revival style. 

Front view, showing masonry detail on Fowler Methodist Episcopal Church, Chicago.

One element that he often used is a large roman arch beneath a pointed masonry arch. The voussoirs that make the arch end up at varied heights to make up the difference between the two arches. The use of large fortress-like towers and elaborate brick and stone work add to the overall picturesque nature of his work. While many of his projects are in stone, the same motifs are used in his brick churches. An excellent example is the 52nd Avenue Presbyterian Church on Chicago's West side. 

52nd Avenue Presbyterian Church in Chicago's far west side, designed by Wesley Arnold, likely in the mid-1890's. It is a modest church with beautiful brick masonry detailing. 

Detail of window and compound arch on 52nd Avenue Presbyterian Church, Chicago.

Another solid example of his work is the Garfield Park Methodist Church in Chicago. In this church, the massing is simplified and facade is purely monumental.  

Garfield Park Methodist Church designed by Wesley Arnold in 1892.

Wesley Arnold died at a relatively young age, in 1900. Because of the lack of records, it isn't clear what his full body of work was but I have been able to identify at least 26 known church commissions. He left a legacy of religious structures in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs as well as projects in Indiana and Iowa.

It is fascinating to me how this father and son each made a mark on religious institutions in very different ways: Ebenezer with his foundational expertise and missionary work and Wesley through his church design legacy. Once Covid has died down a bit more, I hope to do a bit more in-person viewing of the places that these two men helped create. Stay tuned in another few months for a follow up.