In 1957 there was as survey of churches in the Northwest Urban Renewal Area, which included Shaw, Downtown, and parts of NE DC. The NW Urban Renewal Area was shrunk down to the Shaw Urban Renewal Area and other Urban Renewal Areas. To learn more about the 1957 Church Survey read my previous post Church Survey Northwest Urban Renewal Area October 1957.
The Full Gospel Tabernacle Church used to sit at 915 Massachusetts Ave NW (Square 370, lots 801-802) in 1957. Currently there is a modern multi-family (mixed-use) residential building there now. Full Gospel Tabernacle is now located at 632 11th Street NE and their web presence seems eh*. Their daycare website appears to have stock photography, so I wonder.
Is 915 Massachusetts Ave NW in Shaw?
Well according to the above map. Nope.
Let’s go to the survey:
CS 37 Full Gospel by Mm Inshaw
It, according to the 1957 survey was 100% Caucasian. Huh. Now I wonder if the 1957 and the 2022 Full Gospel Tabernacle Churches are the same, because the 2022 one appears to be predominately Black.
No matter. Let’s look at the 1957 church.
As noted, in the survey the congregation was white. A quick look at the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America site searching the term “Full Gospel” brought up some wedding announcements with white brides and ads for the church at 915 Mass Av NW with a photo of a white minister.
The church was 80% white collar, and 5% professional. So probably government workers with a few doctors and lawyers. All the other categories were 5%-3%. The church had been at the site since 1937. There may have been a Full Gospel Tabernacle in Alexandria around about the same time. Go figure.
No surprise, only 1% of the congregants lived in the predominately Black NW Urban Renewal Area. Over half lived in other parts of NW DC and the rest out in the suburbs of Maryland and Virginia.
Lastly, a quick look at the DC Recorder of Deeds and it appears that the Full Gospel Assembly, along with trustees sold the property in 1965. So they didn’t last a decade after the survey.
*Yes, I haven’t updated the main Inshaw.com page in 10 years, so who am I to talk.