St. Mark's Church (Washington, D.C. : Episcopal)

St. Mark's Episcopal Church began in 1867 when Rev. Mark Olds, Rector of Christ Church on G Street, S.E., started a mission in the Belmont Sewell House on Capitol Hill at Constitution Avenue and Second Street, N.E., and then moved it to a frame chapel on Beale Terrace where the first service was held in 1868. Under the first rector, Rev. A. Floridus Steele, the parish vestry named the church St. Mark's in 1870. The wooden church was moved from its earlier location to two lots at Third and A Streets, S.E., in 1871. As the parish grew, these lots became the site of the church built in 1888 and extended in 1894. A vestry dispute in 1895 ended in the resignation of the second rector, Rev. Andrew J. Graham. The Rev. Dr. William L. DeVries became the third rector in Oct. 1896 and signed a Concordat with Bishop Saterlee of the Diocese of Washington, making St. Mark's the Pro-Cathedral of the Diocese. This designation remained until 1902. The houses on Lot 13 on A Street that were bought in 1905 were razed in 1926 to build a parish hall. In 1919, shortly before the church's fiftieth anniversary, St. Mark''s Church paid off the mortgage. St. Mark's began chancel drama in 1956 and chancel dance in 1962. The newsletter adopted the name of The Gospel According to St. Mark's in 1961. Parishioners participated in Dr. Martin Luther King's March for Freedom and Jobs in Aug. 1963. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Mrs. Johnson attended the Sunday service at St. Mark's following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Nov. 1963 and often attended services during President Johnson's term in office. In May 1965, a new rectory was purchased at 139 Twelfth Street, S.E., to replace the first rectory at 622 A Street, S.E. After a complete renovation of the nave and the chancel, the church celebrated its first service on 3 Apr. 1966. The following September, Rev. James R. Adams became the tenth rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church and served for thirty years. In May 1971, parishioners and neighbors marched to the Capitol in protest of a proposal to build a Library of Congress annex on Third Street and were successful in saving St. Mark's and many homes. "The Winged Lion" pub opened in 1973 in the basement of the church for parishioners to have refreshments after services and meetings. In 1980, a plaque was installed designating the church as an historic landmark. A major renovation was planned and a new roof and the Wardens Emeritus Tower were dedicated in Jan. 1982. The new Holtkamp organ was dedicated in 1990. A time capsule was placed in the wall of the foyer on 11 Feb. 1994 to celebrate the conclusion of the legacy fundraising campaign. It read: "Centennial Legacy for the Bicentennial, 1890-1990-2090."