Universalist Church, Mitchellville Iowa

Date added: December 25, 2024

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Iowa
Church

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The Universalist Church at Mitchellville, completed and first occupied circa 1868, is an outstanding example of a early church design based on examples found in small New England towns. It is likely very similar to the ones found in the builder's hometown. The building is the oldest documented in the city.

Latter-day histories sometimes date the construction of the church to 1862. However, the transom above the church entrance depicts the date "1868." The 1862 date is most unlikely. Not only did little construction occur in Iowa during the Civil War; the site of the church had not yet been platted. (Perhaps this date refers to another event in the congregation's history.) The 1868-year is more likely correct. Mitchellville was platted in 1867, and this layout provided the legal description for the church property.

Following the disbanding of the church congregation in 1970, the title to the property passed to the Polk County Conservation Board. That board transferred the property title to the City of Mitchellville in 1986. Currently, the Thomas Mitchell Historical Society administers the maintenance and use of the building for the City.

Thomas Mitchell designed this church. His design blends into the building certain other stylistic influences popular in the mid-19^th century for manufactured building materials. Mitchell imported ready-made materials like hoodmolds, doors, and windows into Mitchellville by rail and employed them to construct the building.

The symmetry of the front facade with its central entrance flanked by windows, the multi-paned windows, and most notably the bell tower with its tall steeple and weathervane are hallmarks of the Federal influence.

Manufactured building materials include the arched hoodmolds above the louvered openings in the bell tower, and the architrave trim around the interior windows and doors. The employment of the latter shows the ongoing influence of Greek Revival styling, while the round-arched hoodmolds are reminiscent of Late Victorian taste. The soft brick, used for the footings of the building, were likely locally fired, although such a source has not yet been identified.

There is a Trompe l'oeil at the front of the church in the alcove situated behind the dais. Trompe l'oeil is a French term literally meaning "to deceive the eye." This artwork employs a one point perspective to achieve dramatic effect. The viewer is invited to travel along a long hall. The closed door at the end of the hall invites speculation as to what lies beyond it. In this depiction, the picture suggests two essential ingredients of the American experience-movement and exploration. The identity of the artist and the date are unknown, but the picture likely dates to the 1880s. When the Polk County Conservation Board acquired the property, they began a rehabilitation of the building. This included the removal of wallpaper, which clad the alcove at the front of the meeting room. This Trompe l'oeil was discovered behind the wallpaper.

The congregation in Mitchellville undertook numerous improvements to the church building in the 1880s. These included the installation of frosted glass windows, two of which are memorials; a colored glass transom above the front doors; and likely the mural. In 1998 the building was re-roofed with wood shingles and painted.

The Universalist Church at Mitchellville also calls attention to the career of Thomas Mitchell, the community's founder and long-time leader. Mitchell's personal example shaped the civic persona of the community.

Born in New Hampshire, Mitchell relocated to the west in 1839 and settled in Fairfield, Iowa, in 1840. He subsequently relocated to Polk County, Iowa where he continued to live until his death. His New Hampshire background may possibly have influenced the design of this church.

Mitchell was actively engaged in the local political affairs of his time. In Fairfield, he served two years as a county commissioner. Mitchell subsequently helped to organize Polk County and was elected its sheriff in 1846. In 1857, Mitchell was elected to serve as a representative in the first General Assembly of Iowa to be held in Des Moines. He later served for six years as a commissioner of Polk County and then as a State Senator for Polk County. Thomas Mitchell was an ardent abolitionist. His championing of the movement furthered its spread in central Iowa, and he was an acknowledged leader of the Underground Railroad. The monumental Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa contains a prominent portrait of Thomas Mitchell, situated on the page even above notables like Hon. B.F. Allen; Wesley Redhead, Esq.; and former Iowa governor Col. Samuel Merrill.

Thomas Mitchell resided in Section 1 of Beaver Township in Polk County. His farmstead is pictured in the Andreas Atlas. This farmhouse remains extant. In 1892, Mitchell and his family moved to Mitchellville to live in the house at 206 Northwest 4^th Street (extant). Oral tradition holds that this house was relocated to Mitchellville from Mitchelltown.

In 1856, Mitchell platted a new town (a.k.a. Mitchelltown), laid out in anticipation of the railroad's arrival. As it happened, the railroad chose a slightly more southerly route. To remedy the bypassing, Mitchell platted another town, Mitchellville, in 1867, sited immediately north of the new tracks.

Mitchell evidenced considerable concern for religion and education. "He was the actual founder and life-long friend and supporter of this church." In addition to a driving force behind the establishment of the Universalist Church in Mitchellville, Mitchell promoted plans for the establishment of a Universalist academy in Mitchellville in 1870. The buildings erected for this institution later became the Iowa State Girls Training School. In turn, that site became the Mitchellville State Prison for Women, when that facility was relocated from Rockwell City, Iowa to Mitchellville in the late 20^th Century.

Building Description

The town of Mitchellville is located in Polk and Jasper counties, Central Iowa. The Universalist Church at Mitchellville is situated in Polk County within a residential neighborhood on the northeast side of Mitchellville. The site includes two city lots and measures 132' x 165'. Located on the northwest corner of 4^th Street Northwest and Market Avenue Northwest, this corner location lends visual presence to the building. This visually prominent church, completed and first occupied circa 1868, is the oldest documented building in the city. The building is in excellent condition.

Two frame privies, built in 1920 and covered with front gable roofs, are located on the site to the west of the church. These privies feature wood siding, wood-shingled roofs, door trim similar to that used on the church, and modern flush toilets.

A livery stable once stood behind the church and provided shelter for the congregation's horses. A parsonage, of later date than the church, once was attached to the northeast corner of the church. It was relocated ca. 1980 to 5^th Street Northwest. The stable was demolished in 1920.

The church is a rectangular frame building resting on brick footings, covered with wood siding and capped with a front gable roof, featuring a bell tower, steeple, and weathervane. A square bell tower projects from the front of the building and serves as entry to the building. It has two louvered openings on the south elevation and one louvered opening on each of the other elevations. Arched hoodmolds crown each of these openings. A hipped roof covers the bell tower, with an octagonal steeple, fabricated of sheet metal. An iron weathervane and lightning rod are located on top of the steeple. In a historic photograph of the church, the steeple appears to be shingled. Although the present steeple may not be original to the building, it matches the original design. An alcove is located at the rear of the building.

The exterior walls are clad with wooden weatherboard. A wooden water table surrounds the building. Wooden corner posts with decorative capitals are situated at each of the corners of the building. A wide cornice is located at the roofline. The closed soffits are moderately wide.

The fenestration originally featured 9/9 double-hung sash. Most of these sashes were replaced, apparently in the 1880s, with double-hung windows featuring frosted glass. Two of these windows are memorials. One reads "1826/Jane Sternberg." The other reads "1835/Wm. S. Jones/1885." The transom over the front double doors has red flashed glass, with "Universalist Church/1868" lettered in unflashed glass, A round, louvered opening is situated above the front entrance. Arched hoodmolds surmount the building's windows and doors.

The brick footings have been repaired at various times over the years and consequently contain a number of different kinds of brick. The original, low-fired, light orange-red brick is visible in several places. A partial basement is situated under the rear of the building.

The interior of the building has two rooms. Double doors from the exterior are used to access the vestibule. A rope in the northeast corner is used for ringing the bell in the tower. Original 9/9, double-hung sashes provide light to the vestibule. Double doors lead from the vestibule into the meeting room. The central aisle leads to a raised dais at the north end of this room. An alcove is situated behind this dais. A wall mural is flanked by two windows. Pews set at an angle flank the central aisle. These pews likely date from the late 19th-century improvements to the building. Original built-in pews, with lift-top seats for storage, are situated at the rear of the meeting room.

The woodwork of the interior features false graining. The windows and doors have wide architrave trim with friezes above the upper portions. There is a wooden wainscoting in the vestibule and meeting room. The plank floors are painted reddish-orange. The wood trim around the dais is painted apple green and reddish-orange.