Houston's Boynton Chapel has been officially designated as a protected historical landmark.

Boynton Chapel Methodist Church in Houston’s Third Ward is a living testament to the resilience of the Black community. The church was designated as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, the highest honor the state of Texas can give a historic building.

The church was built in 1957, designed by John S. Chase, the first Black licensed architect in Texas and a founder of the Texas Southern University art department. Some of its members included Houston civil rights activists Christina Adair and Magdelean “Mama” Bush and Dr. Forde B. McWilliams, one of the first Black veterinarians in Texas.

The congregation’s history dates back to the early 1880s, when the church was known as Dallas Street Methodist Episcopal Church, and it met in the home of one of its founders. Later, the property was purchased at Dallas and Paige Streets, and the church’s name was changed to Boynton Chapel Methodist Episcopal.

At a time when Black people were not allowed to swim in public swimming pools, the church provided a swimming pool, gym, and classrooms where vocational training was provided to adults. It also gave John S. Chase one of his first major opportunities. After he designed the church, he went on to design several other buildings in Houston, including the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, the Martin Luther King Jr. School of Communications, and the Booker T. Washington High School.

The church was in need of repairs to its air conditioning system, drainage system, sanctuary windows, and bell tower, but received help from Urbano Architects, who offered to perform an architectural building survey, usually costing $15,000, for free.

Two University of Houston students were integral in ensuring the church received landmark status. Walker Shores and Sam Osemwingie helped the church become a Protected Landmark of the City of Houston and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, respectively.

Eighty-six-year-old Dorothy Murphy, whose husband Albert was one of the first couples married in the church, remembers how special it was for the community that John S. Chase had designed the church. People had heard his name and knew he was the first Black architect in Texas and had graduated from UT. It was something everyone wanted to see.

Boynton Chapel Methodist Church has been a fixture in Third Ward for many years, and the fact that it was recently designated as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a testament to the resilience of the Black community.

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