John Shearer: Touring An R.H. Hunt-Designed Church In Chapel Hill, N.C.

During the three times I have visited Chapel Hill, N.C., and the University of North Carolina in recent years, a handsome and cream-colored older brick church with elevated columns in the front has caught my eye. 

It might have been my subconscious or even imagination, but the church from the start had a comfortable and attractive air of familiarity as I passed it coming from downtown on the way to the northwestern section of campus. 

It turned out there is a reason why. According to UTC art and architecture professor Dr. Gavin Townsend and one or two other sources found online, it was designed by noted Chattanooga architect Reuben Harrison Hunt. 

Like azalea bushes, magnolias and dogwoods, the prolific Mr. Hunt’s now-historic buildings have dotted and beautified the South for years. 

Besides the dozens of buildings he did in Chattanooga – including the County Courthouse, Memorial Auditorium, the James and Maclellan buildings, and Second Presbyterian Church – he also kept busy in other cities. Almost every state from Texas to Florida to Virginia seems to have multiple representations of his works. 

Mr. Hunt – who practiced out of Chattanooga for several decades until his death in 1937 -- was not so much a trend-setter as someone who knew how to present very attractive and functional examples of established styles. 

And with his apparent salesmanship abilities and reputation as both a skilled architect and active member of First Baptist Church in Chattanooga, he was able to get quite a few commissions for public buildings. 

His interest in using mostly fireproof materials like brick and stone on the outside was also a draw, according to Dr. Townsend, as were reports that he designed some churches for free. 

But maybe it is the look of his buildings that was his biggest appeal, and that still seemed evident at University Baptist Church in Chapel Hill last week. Although the church staffers did not seem to have a lot of information on Mr. Hunt’s connection, they said they love the building and kindly granted me a tour on short notice. 

“For those of us who attend here, we feel a reverence in this place,” said Lisa Lawrence as she stood in the sanctuary/nave while taking a break from helping out in the church’s office. “It’s old fashioned and we love that. We think it’s beautiful.” 

Dr. Mitchell Simpson, who has been pastor of the church since 1990, is also a fan of its architecture. “I appreciate the classic look of it,” he said, adding that, since it does not have a steeple like many churches and is on the edge of the UNC campus, many people mistake it for another university building or have said it would make a great museum. 

Both Dr. Simpson and Mrs. Lawrence also said a number of people who are not members of the church or regular attendees are also interested in getting married there. 

The church, which sits near the corner of South Columbia and West Franklin streets, was founded in 1854 as a Baptist church under another name, and the R.H. Hunt-designed building was constructed in 1922-23. 

Dr. Townsend calls the Hunt structure a neoclassical, temple-like church. “Technically, it has an Ionic, hexastyle porch supported by fluted Ionic columns,” he said. “The North and South elevations feature Doric pilasters (rectangular columns projecting from the walls) separating the windows. 

“The cornice (the ornamental molding below the outer ceiling) is articulated with classic dentil molding. The buff-colored brick was a common building material in the late teens and early ‘20s.” 

Dr. Townsend said Mr. Hunt used a similar design with several other churches from the same era, including First United Methodist in Talladega, Ala.; First United Methodist in Tuscaloosa, Ala.; and First United Methodist in Denton, Texas. 

Dr. Simpson said he thinks his church looks a lot like First Baptist in nearby Durham, N.C., and First Baptist in Richmond, Va., both of which were also designed by Mr. Hunt. 

It also bears a resemblance to the former Centenary Methodist Church in downtown Chattanooga that was built at about the same time and stood across Lindsay Street from Memorial Auditorium until being torn down in the 1970s. 

However, whether Mr. Hunt designed the Centenary church could not be determined after a quick search. One article on the 1921 cornerstone-laying ceremony credits Dr. J.A. Baylor as drawing the plans, but he was actually a Methodist pastor. 

Inside the sanctuary of University Baptist Church in Chapel Hill are curved wooden pews on the lower level with two aisles. The upper seating area features a horseshoe balcony – which is very typical of Mr. Hunt’s structures, including Memorial Auditorium – and has old-fashioned theater-style wooden seats. 

Below each of these seats is a curved metal bar that Mrs. Lawrence said she learned was for a place for men to put their hats during a service. 

The Great Room gathering hall is also interesting to see with its large folding wooden doors with beveled glass. It was in that hall that civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in 1960 in what was considered a controversial event for its time for a white church in the South, Dr. Simpson said. 

Dr. King also spoke in at least one other Hunt-designed building – Chattanooga’s Memorial Auditorium, also in 1960. 

While University Baptist Church is certainly eye-catching, the church also has some visual history that has nothing to do with the Hunt structure. 

One story revolves around the church’s bell, which is kept in a small structure on the south side of the church away from the main building. Dr. Simpson said the pro-Southern members of the church had heard Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, make a pitch for church bells to be donated and smelted for the Civil War effort. 

The men of the church thought that would be a noble action to take, so they sent it to Richmond. However, they forgot to tell their wives. Many of the women were outraged, but they were able to raise funds through their sewing society to buy the Troy, N.Y.-built bell back. Today, it is still proudly rung every Sunday by hand from its unusual ground level. 

“It’s a real mistake to make a decision without consulting your wife,” said Dr. Simpson with a laugh of what was learned from that incident of long ago. 

On the other side of the church near West Franklin Street is a small garden space that was to be turned into a Burger King decades ago. However, the church raised a lot of money and bought the valuable land, Dr. Simpson said, and today it is a nice pristine space where the city of Chapel Hill places its community holiday tree. 

The church is no longer affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. Simpson said, even though that connection was apparently how Mr. Hunt became involved as the architect. 

University Baptist Church is now comprised of a racially mixed and diverse congregation, the pastor said. It has also reconnected with the historical black church that had developed after the Civil War from those congregants who had attended the church as slaves. 

Also, other Christian and faith groups use the church for worship. That includes a black Christian congregation and a Chin congregation composed of former refugees from Burma/Myanmar, he said. Mrs. Lawrence said Jewish groups have also used the church some for special events related to Jewish holidays. 

Dr. Simpson added that his church is proud of the Christian outreach ministry it does today. 

And Mr. Hunt’s church building is still a great place to do all these ministries and worship activities, he added. 

“I think it’s one of the most worshipful spaces I’ve ever experienced,” he said. 

Jcshearer2@comcast.net