St. Paul United Methodist Church
Organized in 1873 to minister to former slaves, this is one of the oldest African American congregations in Dallas. The distinctive red-brick structure, with its high archways and beautiful stained-glass windows, was completed in 1927. The building has many features in common with Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, in nearby Fort Worth; accomplished architect William Sidney Pittman, who designed that sanctuary, is also linked to this building. Today, the renovated St. Paul United Methodist Church is at the center of the downtown arts district, right across from the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The church hosts regular music events, including a jazz night, and has a permanent display of archeological items excavated by University of Texas students and other items that tell the story of the church and Dallas' Freedmen's Town.