The Methodists were the first to organize a congregation in Punta Gorda on July 3, 1887. Early services were held in the Community Hall* at this site on Marion built by Colonel Isaac Trabue early in 1887. The original Hall served as a church for multiple denominations. The Methodist congregation purchased the property for a sanctuary in 1889 for $250. In 1910 a hurricane badly damaged the Community Hall building and forced the congregation to plan for a new structure.
In February 1913, J. Heid and Major Wells donated 40,000 bricks from the old power house, an abandoned ice factory on Berry Street. The church shell was finished on June 1, 1915. Despite the lack of windows and interior fixtures, the building was used immediately by the congregation. Later that year stained glass windows were installed and the interior was finished as funds became available. It is estimated that the church cost approximately $10,000 to build.
*Lindsey Williams' in a 1993 newspaper article, indicated that the original Community Hall structure was the second building to be constructed in Trabue, Punta Gorda. Part of the building that was the original sanctuary was discovered to have been moved in 1914 and incorporated into a large home being renovated at 233 Harvey St. The remnant of the old bell tower, choir loft and sanctuary were identified after a storm when the interior walls were stripped.
