First Methodist Church

Iowa, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

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Rock Rapids United Methodist Church, originally known as First Methodist Church, stands in Rock Rapids, Iowa as a striking example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. Designed by Sioux Falls architect Joseph Schwartz and completed in 1896, the building showcases distinctive blue-gray granite quarried near Sioux Falls, laid in random ashlar pattern, with red granite trim—material salvaged from a bankrupt packing plant's abandoned construction. The red stone particularly highlights the voussoirs of the arched openings in alternating colors. A tall corner bell tower punctuates the composition. The congregation, founded in the 1870s, built this as their second church home. In 1905, a Hinners pipe organ from Pekin, Illinois was installed at considerable cost. A 1966 addition extended the south elevation. The structure earned National Register listing in 1978.