Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, St Paul, MN

Now and then new entries in the A-A database are more curious than contributory. Consider the case of Grace M. E. Church in St Paul, Minnesota. [Sorry about the poor reproduction.]

This is quite possibly the homeliest church I have ever seen. So, despite no assurance that it has any A-A qualities, I couldn’t resist adding it. The caption is more hindrance than help: Beaumont Street could be the address of either the church itself or of Rev. Waltz, the minister. I found an 1881 history of St Paul and Ramsey County, which mentions Grace church “on Hopkins between Bradley and Burr.” Three things are interesting about that reference: #1) Burr Street changes its name to Burnison by the time it crosses Hopkins, while Bradley has been obliterated by the rerouting of Payne; #2) if there was a church building in that block of Hopkins, it has been replaced by single-family residences; and #3) that site is only about four blocks from Rev. Waltz’s purported home on Beaumont.