The plaque is located on the front of the church on the right side of the door.

The plaque is located on the front of the church on the right side of the door.

The church does not have a clear style since it has evolved over time. It has been described as Gothic. In 1832, the church was built for $4,500.00. In the late 1990’s the Historic Pnesacola Preservation Board spend $800,000.00 to rehabilitate the church.

Originally the building was slicked with a white-colored lime wash to support the weak bake-fired bricks with which it was constructed.

For a brief while during the Civil War, the entire congregation of Old Christ Church along with all but about 80 of Pensacola’s population, fled to Alabama. During their absence, Union troops occupied the church and used it as a hospital and barracks.

This is a north view from the vantage point of Church Street.

Today the building is at the center of Historic Pensacola Village to be used for concerts, recitals, lectures, adn weddings as well as a community town hall.

The south side of the church is on Zaragoza Street.

The Christ Church Episcopal parishioners moved into a new church on north Palafox in 1903. The Episcopal Bishop of Florida deconsecrated the building 1935. The building served as the first public library until 1959. Between 1959 and 1995, Pensacola Historical Museum based itself in the bulding, but by 1995 the church had again fallen into disrepair. In 1995, the city voted to return the deed to Old Christ Church vestry who in turn leased it to Historic Pensacola to make it eligible for state grants to fund the necessary repairs.

Old Christ Church is situated on the corner of Adams and Zaragoza Street across from Seville Square, as can be seen in the photograph.

The Dorr House can be seen across the front lawn.

A major renovation of the building took place betwen 1878 and 1879. Dr. Scott’s report for 1879 for the Diocese of Florida states that he had a stained glass window “Light of the World” installed over the altar as a memorial to the late Rt. Rev. Francis Huger Rutledge. All of the stained glass windows were moved in 1903 to the new Christ Church where parishioners still enjoy their beauty. A copy of the “Light of the World” window was made by Rambusch, Inc. of New York. The window was given as a memorial to Elby Godwin by his wife Jeanne and their two children, Honey and Elby, Jr.

A major renovation of the building took place betwen 1878 and 1879. Dr. Scott’s report for 1879 for the Diocese of Florida states that he had a stained glass window “Light of the World” installed over the altar as a memorial to the late Rt. Rev. Francis Huger Rutledge. All of the stained glass windows were moved in 1903 to the new Christ Church where parishioners still enjoy their beauty. A copy of the “Light of the World” window was made by Rambusch, Inc. of New York. The window was given as a memorial to Elby Godwin by his wife Jeanne and their two children, Honey and Elby, Jr.

The altar is the original which was returned to Christ Church in the mid-1970’s. The chancel chairs came from a church in Detroit are are dated 1870.

During the recent church renovation an archaeology study revealed graves of the lost rectors. These three men were the first three rectors of the church. Until 1988, it was only a locally accepted legend that they were indeed buried under the church. Some tales even said that Union troops disentombed them in search for valuables. Dr. Judy Bense of the University of West Florida Archaeology Institute found evidence that the legned may have some validity. The white marble memorial plaque inlaid into the wooden floor is located in the center of the photograph.

The interior of the building is as much like it was in 1879 as possible. The pews are new and copies of the originals. The lighting is like it was in 1879 when the building was expanded and the roof elevated.