National and State Register

First Methodist Episcopal Church (Monte Vista)

Rio Grande County

The walls of the 1922 church are purple tapestry brick with a salt glaze, a firing and glazing method not used since the 1940s.  No other building constructed of this unusual material has been found in the town of Monte Vista or the San Luis Valley. 

A picture of the church from an angle with brick walls vertical windows widely spaced and vertical protrusions ascending from the entrance in the front.

First Methodist Episcopal Church (2005 photograph.)

While the form and detailing belie its religious function, the building’s massing attests to its Akron Plan interior.  The building has also been host to a wide variety of community activities over the years, playing an important role in the social history of Monte Vista.  

First Methodist Episcopal Church State Register nomination, 5RN.782 (PDF)

State Register

Address

215 Washington St., Monte Vista

Site Number

5RN.782

National Register