Window from Union Memorial UMC
As part of one of the largest urban renewal projects in the nation, Union Memorial United Methodist Church in Mill Creek Valley was demolished in 1960, even after an architectural survey recommended it be preserved. The building—then occupied by the third-oldest Black congregation in St. Louis—was initially built for the Temple Israel congregation in 1888, when Mill Creek was center of Jewish life in St. Louis. When members of the Jewish community moved west, Black and immigrant St. Louisans moved into Mill Creek, and Union Memorial purchased the building.
Object Title and Accession Number
Leaded stained-glass window from Union Memorial UMC. Unknown maker, 1887–1888. 2022-098-0001.
Two stained glass panels with wooden frames photographed against a white background. The left panel is rectangular with a blue and gray lattice pattern. The right panel is arched with a yellow and gray lattice pattern. Both frames appear weathered and aged.
Close-up the rectanular stained glass panel with a weathered wooden frame. The tiles are arranged in a diagonal lattice pattern with muted brown and yellow tones, and a row of small, rectangular dark tiles at the top.
Close-up of the arched stained glass window panel with a geometric lattice pattern. The glass features shades of yellow and gray, set within a stone frame. The frame shows signs of wear, with visible cracks at the top.