- An Historic Washington Landmark - The Past - First Protestant
Agency in the Nation's Capital - The People - The Present - The
Future - Building use controversy The Methodist Episcopal Church
ought to have a worthy building at the nation's capital," Bishop
William F. McDowell stated in 1920. "The Board of Temperance,
Prohibition and Public Morals has the perfect site and the
perfect plans... The new building will make our church visible
and multiply its power at this world's center." A building
creates an image; it is a symbol. The United Methodist Building,
for 75 years, has been a symbol of justice and peace not only
for The United Methodist Church, but for denominations
worldwide. Its message has been communicated through the people
who work and live there, the offices that they operate, and the
meetings and discussions that they conduct. For 75 years the
United Methodist Building in Washington, D.C., has served as a
witness at the center of government power to the church's
beliefs -- a reminder that the