Written by Paige Eisemann
Clarksville, TN – The 25th anniversary of the devastating F3 tornado in January 1999 has brought about a new focus on the arts for Madison Street United Methodist Church. The historic church at 319 Madison Street has been a part of the Clarksville downtown community since 1882.
When the tornado partially destroyed the original sanctuary, it was rebuilt into the beautiful landmark we now know. The building itself is truly a work of art, marrying the old with the new in a testament of the permanence of our downtown community. It is only fitting that this anniversary be celebrated with the creation of a new ministry, “Art for Faith’s Sake.”
Fall 2023 began a new season of ministry for the church, with a unique group gathering to envision ways that the church could expand outreach programs. Rev. John Collett, Jr. led a group called IMAGINE, which allowed people from all ages and stages of life to share ideas. From this gathering of minds came the idea to strengthen the church’s involvement in the downtown art community.
Congregation member Regina Edelmann and Rev. Dr. Tim Sharp, Pastoral Associate for the Arts, began working to plan future events, and the church became a member of the Downtown Artists Co-Op. The church will now be a part of the popular monthly Art Walk, utilizing the Commerce Street entrance to welcome guests into the first-floor Sid Johnson Gallery.
As a grand beginning to a focus on downtown arts, the “Art for Faith’s Sake” Art Fair was held on May 2nd as a celebration of the reopening of the church after the rebuilding process with artists from within the past and present congregation of Madison Street UMC and throughout the community. “Art for Faith’s Sake” continued to grow, and on July 4th a fabulous event entitled “Red River Revival” was held, featuring The Chuck Nation Bluegrass Band & Tim Sharp as well as The Madison Street Festival Singers.
These free events are examples of great things to come from the “Art for Faith’s Sake” ministry, with future events being planned to feature painting, drawing, sculpting, digital art, sewing, jewelry making, quilting, photography, writing, music of all sorts, and many other types of art. Aside from a plethora of current artists being showcased, works from numerous noted artists of the past are always on display in the Sid Johnson Gallery, including works of Dan Hanley and Peg Harvill.
Guests will also enjoy the artistry that is the beautiful building itself, showcasing the work of Gary Everton, of EOA Architects Nashville. The distinctive stained glass, the work of Dennis Harmon at Emmanuel Studio in Nashville also highlights the marriage of old and new. Artifacts from the original church building are on display, such as the twisted pipes of the original organ. The current instrument, the Rieger-Kloss, Opus 3717 organ was built in the Czech Republic and installed in the sanctuary at Madison Street in 2001.
According to the church website, “The magnificent organ case stands three stories tall above the choir, and includes 32? pipes in the facade, each of which weigh nearly 850 pounds. The fabulous instrument was designed to be uniquely distinct. For instance, the inclusion of the ‘Grand Choir Resonance Division’ is highly unique, appearing on only one other instrument in the Southeast and on only a handful of instruments in the entire United States.”
The church building itself is a landmark in the downtown community, but the congregation and ministries are what have “woven the church into the fabric of Clarksville.” On September 26th, 1882, the cornerstone for the church was laid at the intersection of Madison and Hiter Streets. The building stood and grew as the congregation and city grew throughout the years until the morning of January 22nd, 1999.
The devastation from the F3 tornado that swept through in the early morning hours left a mark on the downtown area, but many recall seeing the destroyed sanctuary and being moved by the sight. “Seeing the back wall of the sanctuary standing there, exposed and laid open without the roof and side walls, it took your breath away,” recalls one church member. Images of the massive damage to the church building were circulated across both local and national media.
A steadfast group of church members, community members, and professionals began the monumental task of rebuilding the historic landmark. Architect Gary Everton collaborated with many talented artisans to maintain the historic look and feel of the church while integrating modern construction techniques to marry the old portions of the church that were able to be salvaged with the newly constructed elements.
Dennis Harmon, the glass artisan, researched and worked tirelessly to recreate the ornate glasswork throughout the building, including the famous Rose Window that adorned the front wall over the narthex of the building. Church members and people from all over Clarksville worked together to recreate the many facets that make up a church building, with everything from the new stained glass to the hand-embroidered kneeling rail pads.
Nestled among the other beautiful images that were lovingly sewn into those pads is an image of a tornado bearing the words “The Church is the People Not a Building”. The new building, which reopened in 2000, bears a strong resemblance to the original structure but it is uniquely different. Great care was taken to honor the past but move the building into the future. One well known example of this is visible from virtually all the downtown area.
Where the steeples of the original Victorian Gothic-style building once stood, there are now copper-clad structural steel outlines of the original shapes. These spires are lit from underneath, within the towers.
Many say this is to symbolize the spires pointing to heaven above but incorporating heaven within. The spires are often referred to by passersby as “ghost spires”, but for many church members they are a symbol that the church remembers the past but will never stop growing and building.
The memory of the devastation to the city of Clarksville on January 22nd, 1999 can be seen in many areas downtown, but Madison Street UMC is celebrating 25 years of rebuilding, enjoying the arts, and blending the old with the new, through the implementation of “Arts for Faith’s Sake”, participating in downtown standards such as Art Walk, and the Downtown Artists Co-Op. Our city is learning even now about overcoming the effects of tornadoes and severe weather, and Madison Street United Methodist Church celebrates 25 years of growing and thriving, marrying the old with the new as a testament of permanence.
