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Columbine Church of Christ -
2403 9TH AV
 Print Listing
Historical Name -
Greeley Wesleyan Methodist Church
Style -
Other Style
Built Year -
1956
State ID -
5WL4462
Description -
This church at 2403 9th Avenue is situated on the southwest corner of 9th Avenue and 24th Street. The dwelling is set back approximately 36 feet from 9th Avenue and 25 feet from 24th Street. A planted grass yard with mature landscaping surrounds the structure, and a church hall/office is located directly south. Oriented to the east, the church rests on a concrete foundation veneered in red, raked brick. Basement windows are four-light, metal frame, with frosted glazing; the left half of each window (when viewed from the outside) is a casement window. Two-light, hopper basement windows appear on a protruding bay on the rear (west) elevation. The red, raked-brick veneer extends up four feet on each elevation, where it changes to tan, raked brick. Windows on the north and south elevations are pared, four-light casement, with steel frames, and amber-colored, Byzantine glass. Each pair appears between buttresses crowned with red-painted, concrete caps. Dominating the front (east) elevation is a red brick cross set within the rest of the tan-brick wall. Flanking either side of the bottom of the cross are single buttresses bracing each corner. Paired, plate-glass doors, with brown aluminum frames, open in the center of the tower's east elevation. A single casement window, as described above, pierces the tower's north elevation. A white-painted, four-panel metal door opens low on the west end of the north elevation. A front-gabled bay protrudes from the center of the rear (west) elevation. To the south of the bay, opening on the rear (west) elevation of the main church building, is a doorway, now boarded shut. It is approached by five concrete steps. A metal, louvered vent pierces the center of the west-facing gable. Red-gray asphalt shingles cover the front-gabled roof, and the structure lacks overhanging eaves.
Historical Background -
In October 1909, the Colorado Mortgage and Investment Company and J.M.B. Petrikin platted the First Addition to Arlington Park, which consisted of fifteen city blocks located south of the original Arlington Park subdivision. The First Addition included numerous parcels, including this one at 2403 9th Avenue. Because the current structure houses a non-profit organization, it is exempt from taxes. Therefore, local tax assessor records do not exist. Determining an exact construction date is difficult. City directories list Reverend R.J. Gilbert between 1956 and 1959. It is probable that the current church building was built by that time. City directories list Reverent W.A. Kaufmann between 1963 and 1965, and Reverent Rolland Fletcher in 1968. The Greeley Wesleyan Methodist Church is listed in city directories between 1972 and 1981. It is likely that the aforementioned ministers were affiliated with this church. A 1995 article in the "Greeley Tribune" reveals that the current congregation of the Columbine Church of Christ organized itself in February 1979 and moved to 2403 9th Avenue in 1984. Russell Wright was pastor of the congregation between 1980 and 1995. Wright was trained as a minister at a relatively young age, by the age of 19 or 20. Around 1980, he was working as an insurance agent in Denver and was contacted by a member of the church regarding a policy. This event led to a higher calling: Wright accepted an invitation to preach through a six-month trial period and moved his family to Greeley. He simultaneously operated an independent insurance agency while becoming the permanent minister at the church. The Columbine Church of Christ has been involved in youth missions and has operated soup kitchens for the community. Church services focus largely on the teachings contained in the Bible, and Sunday morning music is sung a cappella.
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