Handy Chapel

The Handy Chapel, located at 200 White Avenue in Grand Junction, was built in 1892. It is connected with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, but it is legally owned by the black citizens of the city. It has been in existence for more than 120 years. During that time, the chapel has been used primarily as a church building but also as a social center and a shelter for visitors and those in need. Over many decades, the chapel fell into disrepair. In the early 2010s, the people of the church successfully restored the chapel and its adjacent chapel house with the help of Colorado Preservation and other preservation-minded nonprofits.

Origins

The Ute Indians were forced out of western Colorado in September 1881. Shortly afterward, the Grand Junction Town Company was formed to promote development of a new town at the point where the Colorado River (which was called the Grand River back then) met the Gunnison River. As part of its plan for the new town, the company donated pieces of land for groups of church people to build church buildings on the northeast corner of each intersection along White Avenue from Third Street to Seventh Street.

The black community in Grand Junction initially attended the First Methodist Church, but soon it began to push for a church of its own. At the time, there were strict rules about keeping people of different races separate from one another (called racial segregation) in most parts of the country, especially the South. But there is no evidence that the black community was forced out of the First Methodist Church. Instead, Grand Junction’s black residents wanted to have a building that could serve them as both a church and social center.

The town’s leaders all happened to be members of the First Methodist Church and wanted to help the city’s African American community get a church of its own. In 1883 they sold the northeast corner lot of White Avenue and Second Street to the black community for a price of one dollar to build a church. It is important to note that the deed of ownership for the lot was made out to the black citizens of Grand Junction, not to any particular congregation or church organization.

It took nine years for Grand Junction’s black community to raise the $962.50 necessary to build a church on the site. Completed in 1892, the building was a simple one-story brick structure with a two-story bell tower on a stone foundation. It was originally called Wright Chapel after its first pastor, Silas Wright. At that time, the church was associated with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

By 1900, for unknown reasons, Wright Chapel had been renamed Handy Chapel. It had also received an eastern addition with a multipurpose room and a one-room section intended to be used by visiting pastors.

Black Community

Handy Chapel was built as a church, and like many churches it has a long history of serving the community in a variety of functions. When Grand Junction faced a classroom shortage in early 1900s, Handy Chapel was used as space for school classrooms. Because Handy Chapel was one of the few black institutions in the city, it also provided shelter to black visitors, homeless people, and anyone else in need of a place to stay. In the 1910s or 1920s, the congregation built a small wood-frame chapel house next to the church to help these visitors. People who stayed there for free often performed repairs and other work around the chapel.

The congregation had long been associated with the AME Church, and it had occasionally paid for traveling AME ministers to preach at the chapel. But in the late 1970s, the Rocky Mountain Conference of the AME Church tried to sell the chapel. The congregation filed a lawsuit to prevent the sale of the chapel. They claimed that the Rocky Mountain Conference could not sell the chapel because it did not own the church building or the lot. They pointed out that the original deed was sold to the black citizens of Grand Junction. The ownership deed had never been sold or transferred to the AME Church.

In April 1981, District Judge James J. Carter agreed with the congregation. He confirmed the AME did not own the church or land. Judge Carter decided that Handy Chapel needed a special committee of black citizens to make sure that the chapel was maintained its charitable and religious functions within the black community of Grand Junction.

Restoration

Judge Carter’s legal decision confirmed the Handy Chapel’s importance within Grand Junction’s black community. In 1994 the chapel was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The number of people in the congregation shrank over the years. As a result, the church struggled financially. By the early 2000s, the church could no longer maintain the century-old chapel building and adjacent chapel house. The roof of the chapel house fell through and collapsed the floor of the chapel’s parsonage.

In 2011 Colorado Preservation listed the chapel as one of the state’s most endangered places. This action was to help stimulate restoration efforts. That May, volunteers from HistoriCorps replaced the chapel house’s roof. The Colorado Preservation staff applied for grants to pay for the chapel’s repairs. In 2012 the El Pomar Foundation gave some initial money for the project. Two other people (former state legislator Tillie Bishop and retired banker Herb Bacon) helped in the process to get additional money for Handy Chapel. More than $200,000 in grants were awarded from the State Historical Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Restoration of the chapel started that fall and was completed in 2013. The repaired church building had better accessibility for people with disabilities. Also, a new meeting space was created in the former parsonage. A variety of other improvements was also completed.

The Handy Chapel was built in 1892 in downtown Grand Junction at the corner of White Avenue and Second Street. It is connected with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church organization, but it is legally owned by the black citizens of the city. It has been in existence for more than 120 years. During that time, the chapel has been used primarily as a church building. It has also been used for social events and as a shelter for visitors and those in need. Over many decades, the chapel became run down. In the early 2010s, the people of the church restored the chapel and the nearby chapel house with the help of Colorado Preservation and other nonprofits.

Origins

The Ute Indians were forced out of western Colorado in September 1881. Shortly afterward, the Grand Junction Town Company was formed. Its goal was to encourage the growth of a new town at the point where the Colorado River (which was called the Grand River back then) met the Gunnison River. As part of its plan for the new town, the company donated land to congregations to build churches. Grand Junction first donated five lots (pieces of land) along White Avenue from Third Street to Seventh Street.

At first, black people in Grand Junction attended the First Methodist Church. But soon they sought to create a church of their own. This was a period when there were strict rules about keeping people of different races separate from one another. This was especially true in the Southern states. But that did not seem to be happening in Grand Junction. Black people were not forced out of the First Methodist Church. Instead, Grand Junction’s black residents wanted to have a building that could serve them as both a church and as a social center.

The town’s leaders were all members of the First Methodist Church, and they wanted to help the black residents. In 1883 they sold a piece of land to the black community for one dollar. The lot was at the corner of White Avenue and Second Street. The new ownership papers for the lot said it now belonged to the black citizens of Grand Junction. In other words, the lot did not belong to any particular group of church people or to any church organization.

It took nine years for Grand Junction’s black community to raise enough money to build a church building on the lot. It cost $962.50. The building was rather simple. It was one-story brick structure with a two-story bell tower on a stone foundation. It was completed in 1892. The first pastor was Silas Wright, so they called it Wright Chapel. At that time, the people of Wright Chapel were connected to the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

By 1900 Wright Chapel had been renamed Handy Chapel. No one knows why the name was changed. The chapel building was also made bigger. It added an activity room and a one-room area (called a parsonage) to be used by visiting pastors.

Black Community

Handy Chapel was built as a church, but it helped the black residents and the town in many other ways, too. When Grand Junction did not have enough classrooms in the early 1900s, Handy Chapel was used for school classrooms.

At that time, there were not very many black people in the town. Handy Chapel was one of the few places that helped and welcomed black people. Handy Chapel often had black visitors, homeless people, and others in need stay there. In the 1910s or 1920s, the church people built a small chapel house next to the church to help these visitors. People stayed there for free and they often did repairs and other simple work around the chapel.

In the late 1970s and 1980s, the Handy Chapel congregation (church group) had an argument with the AME Church. The Handy Chapel congregation had been associated with the AME Church for a long time. They had occasionally paid for traveling AME ministers to preach at the chapel. In the late 1970s, the AME Church organization tried to sell Handy Chapel. The congregation wrote up legal papers to prevent the sale of the chapel. They claimed that the AME Church could not sell Handy Chapel because it did not own the church buildings or the lot. They pointed out that the legal papers said the church lot was originally sold to the black citizens of Grand Junction. The ownership of the lot and church buildings had never been sold or transferred to the AME Church.

In April 1981, District Judge James J. Carter agreed with the Handy Chapel congregation. He said the AME Church did not own the church buildings or land of Handy Chapel so they could not sell it. Judge Carter decided that Handy Chapel needed a special group of black citizens to make sure that the chapel was kept for the helpful and religious use of the city’s black residents.

Restoration

Judge Carter’s decision showed how important Handy Chapel was within Grand Junction’s black community. In 1994 the chapel was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The number of people in the congregation shrank over the years. As a result, the church struggled financially. By the early 2000s, the church could no longer keep the century-old chapel building and nearby chapel house in good repair. The roof of the chapel house fell down, and the floor of the chapel’s parsonage broke.

In 2011 Colorado Preservation listed the chapel as one of the state’s most endangered places. They did this to help encourage people to repair the building. That May, volunteers from HistoriCorps replaced the chapel house’s roof. The Colorado Preservation staff asked for money to pay for the chapel’s repairs. In 2012 the El Pomar Foundation gave some initial money for the project. Two other people (former state lawmaker Tillie Bishop and retired banker Herb Bacon) helped in the process to get additional money to repair Handy Chapel. More than $200,000 was given by the State Historical Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Repairs of the chapel started that fall and were completed in 2013. The repaired church building was made accessible to people with disabilities. A new meeting space was also created. 

The Handy Chapel was built in 1892 in downtown Grand Junction. It was located at the corner of White Avenue and Second Street. It is connected with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church organization. But the legal owners of Handy Chapel are the black citizens of the city. It was built more than 120 years ago. The chapel was used primarily as a church building. It was also an important place for people to have social events. It was used as a shelter for visitors and those in need. Over many years, the chapel started to fall apart. In the early 2010s, the people of the church repaired the chapel and the nearby chapel house. They had help from Colorado Preservation and other groups who help save special old buildings.

Origins

The Ute Indians were forced out of western Colorado in September 1881. Soon after the Grand Junction Town Company was formed. They wanted to help a new town to grow. The town location was at the point where two rivers joined. Those two rivers were the Colorado River (which was called the Grand River back then) and the Gunnison River. The company gave pieces of land to build church buildings in the new town. They first donated five lots (pieces of land) along White Avenue.

The black people in Grand Junction started out attending the First Methodist Church. But soon they began to want to have a church of their own. The black people were not forced out of the First Methodist Church. Grand Junction’s black residents wanted to have a building that could be both a church and a social center.

The town’s leaders all were members of the First Methodist Church. They wanted to help the black residents. In 1883 they sold a piece of land to the black community for the price of one dollar. The lot was at the corner of White Avenue and Second Street. The new ownership papers for the lot said it now belonged to the black citizens of Grand Junction. In other words, the lot did not belong to any group of church people or to any church organization.

It took nine years for Grand Junction’s black people to raise enough money to build a new church building. It cost $962.50. The brick and stone building was rather simple. It was one-story and had a two-story bell tower. It was completed in 1892. The first pastor was Silas Wright, so they called it Wright Chapel. At that time, the people of Handy Chapel were connected with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church organization.

By 1900, Wright Chapel was renamed Handy Chapel. No one knows why the name was changed. The chapel building also was made bigger. They added an activity room and a small area to be used by visiting pastors.

Black Community

Handy Chapel was built as a church, but it helped the black residents and the town in other ways, too. For example, in the early 1900s, Handy Chapel was used as classroom space.

At that time, there were not very many black people in the town. Handy Chapel was one of the few places in the town that helped and welcomed black people. Handy Chapel let black visitors, homeless people, and others in need stay there. In the 1910s or 1920s, the church people built a small chapel house next to the church to help these visitors. People stayed there for free, and they often did simple repairs around the chapel.

In the late 1970s and 1980s, the church people had an argument with the AME Church organization. The church people of Handy Chapel had been connected with the AME Church for a long time. They had paid for traveling AME ministers to preach at Handy Chapel. In the late 1970s, the AME Church organization tried to sell Handy Chapel. The Handy Chapel people were unhappy about this. They wrote up legal papers asking a judge to stop the sale. They pointed out that the ownership papers said the church lot was sold to the black citizens of Grand Junction. They said the lot and church buildings did not belong to the AME Church.

In April 1981, District Judge James J. Carter agreed with the church people of Handy Chapel. He stopped the sale. He officially said the AME Church did not own the church buildings or land of Handy Chapel so they could not sell it.

Restoration

Judge Carter’s decision showed how important Handy Chapel was to the black citizens in Grand Junction. In 1994 the chapel was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Sadly, the number of people of Handy Chapel shrank over the years. Soon the church did not have enough money to keep the building in good shape. By the early 2000s, the old chapel building and nearby chapel house began to fall apart. The roof of the chapel house fell down, and part of the floor broke.

In 2011 a group called Colorado Preservation encouraged people to repair Handy Chapel. That May, volunteers put a new roof on the chapel house. In 2012, many people helped in the process to get more money to repair Handy Chapel. More than $200,000 was given by the State Historical Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Repairs of the chapel started that fall and were done in 2013.