ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

202 Gordon Drive, SE

1893

St. John’s Episcopal Church, one of the most beautiful structures in Historic Decatur, was established and admitted to the Diocese of Alabama in 1891. On February 19, 1893, the growing congregation dedicated its first church, a Gothic-style wooden edifice, erected for less than $2,000.

The church, which originally faced Jackson Street, was turned 90 degrees westward to face Second Avenue in 1940. A tall central entrance tower encased in stone and a needle spire were added in 1948, lending to St. John’s character of a small 16th-century English village church. In 1983, St John’s was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the New Decatur Albany Residential Historic District. In 2017, the “Our Table, God’s Table” capital campaigned, provided handicapped accessibility, an updated kitchen and parish hall, dedicated space for children and youth and renovated offices.