Falls Church Presbyterian Church

Falls Church Presbyterian Church, Falls Church, Virginia

–  Click on the image to enlarge or purchase  –

Falls Church Presbyterian Church

In the last post we visited Vale United Methodist Church  in Oakton, Virginia.   Today we move a few miles down the road to the historic town of Falls Church.

The Falls Church after which the town of Falls Church, Virginia was named, was founded in 1734.  This was an Episcopal church.  Presbyterians, however, did not have their place of worship, meeting in private homes.  This all changed when the Presbyterians purchased Groot Hall in 1866.  Groot Hall was originally constructed in 1856 by Dr. Simon J. Groot on 11-acres of land he purchased for $179.  It was a two story structure and used for church services, community groups, the town hall, a private school, and even as a Union Army Hospital during the civil war.

To the east of Groot Hall the Presbyterians built a gothic style church with a steepled style bell tower in 1884.  Built from local granite, it was the town’s first stone building.  The first remodeling occurred after only a few of years, in the 1890s.  A Sunday School was added in 1928 and the sanctuary enlarged in 1954.  A further remodeling took place in 1968.  Even though the church has undergone two enlargements and been twice remodeled, over half of the existing structure from 1884 can still be seen today.  Groot Hall, though, no longer exists having been torn down in 1925.

Summary

Article Name

Falls Church Presbyterian Church

Description

Falls Church Presbyterian Church, a gothic style church built of local granite in 1884, was the town's first stone building

Author

Mark Summerfield

Publisher Name

Mark Summerfield

Publisher Logo