First United Methodist Church, hailing from northeast Lincoln’s University Place neighborhood, has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places — the official federal list landmarks deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or artistic value.
A stones throw from the Nebraska Wesleyan University campus, the oldest part of First United Methodist Church was built in 1909. At the time of construction, University Place was an independent town before Lincoln annexed it in the 1920s.
The domed, two-story-tall building has a façade featuring a two-story-tall portico. The dome’s interior is decorated with over 1,000 pieces of stained and painted glass and features a portrait of the man who would become the namesake of the city: Abraham Lincoln. History Nebraska details the design as Neo-Classical Revival style, and the designer as Alfred W. Woods, an architect who was commissioned to design more than 100 churches, including nine in Lincoln.
The dome is dedicated to peace and was one of many memorials funded by the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization of Union veterans of the United States Armed Forces in the Civil War. The building’s interior sanctuary space was built as an auditorium with a three-sided balcony. Additions were made in 1955 and 1976 for an education wing and elevator, respectively.