The Miles Park Methodist Church, later home to the Pentecostal Determine Church of God, was a church in Cleveland, Ohio.
History
The Miles Park Methodist Church, later home to the Pentecostal Determine Church of God, was a church located at 9105 Miles Park Avenue in the Union-Miles Park neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio.
Newburgh Township was established in 1814 and quickly became one of two centers of the regional steelmaking industry by 1856, eventually growing into the largest settlement in the area. 2 Irish and Welsh immigrants sought work in the mills near East 91st and East 93rd Streets, with the area around East 93rd Street and Union Avenue becoming known as “Irishtown.” However, after an 1882 steel mill strike was broken by Polish and Slovak strikebreakers, these new immigrant groups replaced much of the Irish and Welsh population. By 1905, most of the township had been annexed into the City of Cleveland.
The Miles Park United Methodist congregation was founded by Lyman Ferris in 1832. 1 4 It initially met in a farmhouse near present-day Harvard Avenue and East 71st Street before relocating to Newburgh’s town hall. 4 In 1841, the church received land at Miles Park Avenue and present-day East 91st Street from the estate of Theodore Miles. A frame church was built on the site in 1850. 3 4 As the steel industry expanded in the 1850s, the congregation grew. In 1872, the original church was moved to the corner of East 92nd Street and Walker Avenue to make way for a larger building. 3
A new Miles Park United Methodist Church was constructed between 1872 and 1883 in the Gothic Revival architectural style. 3 The church lost its 85-foot-high steeple to fire in 1925, and a renovation in 1937 significantly altered the interior. The building contributed to the Miles Park Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Union-Miles Park began to decline in the 1960s, influenced by broader economic shifts and urban development changes. Factors such as industrial decline, job losses, changing housing patterns, and aging infrastructure contributed to the neighborhood’s struggles. As businesses and industries relocated, economic stability in the community weakened, making it difficult to attract new investment.
The Miles Park Methodist Church congregation disbanded in 1978, and the church was sold to the predominantly African American Allen Chapel-Missionary Baptist Church in 1979. 4 The Pentecostal Determine Church of God later acquired it. The building’s roof collapsed in 2020, forcing the congregation to relocate.
On March 28, 2024, the abandoned Pentecostal Determine Church of God building was destroyed by fire. 1
Gallery
Sources
- Buduson, Sarah. “Cleveland will demolish Pentecostal Determine Church of God after Thursday morning fire, city says.” News 5 Cleveland, 28 Mar. 2024.
- “District 4: Union-Miles.” Cleveland City Planning Commission.
- “Union Miles Neighborhood Master Plan.” The Union Miles Development Corporation, Apr. 2004.
- Armstrong, Foster, et al. “Allen Chapel-Missionary Baptist Church.” A Guide to Cleveland’s Sacred Landmarks, The Kent State University Press, 1992, p. 198.
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