The Arts Council will begin preservation efforts for the First United Methodist Episcopal Church in Downtown Gainesville on Tuesday.
The church, which was one of the only buildings to survive the 1936 tornado that destroyed most of the city, was originally completed in 1908. Double Hung, a preservation company outside Greensboro, NC, will initiate the first stages of the preservation process by removing and repairing the church’s Roman Arch stained-glass windows.
The window preservation was kickstarted through a $75,000 grant from Fox Gives, the philanthropic branch of Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. The grant aims to engage community-wide participation and support for local preservation projects. Additionally, the funds were matched by a private donor…