Calvary Church
This is a great image of Calvary Bible Church, in its first phase of construction. The church’s original pastor, William A. Ashbrook, was pastor of Glen Echo Presbyterian Church. He resigned and founded an independent, non-sectarian church in 1940, after a lengthy disagreement with the Presbyterian hierarchy. 114 members withdrew from Glen Echo with him. For awhile they met at Medary Elementary School, and in 1941 they purchased the southeast corner of the old Fuller farm, at 3939 North High Street. The war interrupted construction—no building permits were being issued due to the shortage of materials–but in July 1949 the church broke ground. Ashbrook had been a resident of Clintonville for 13 years at the time of the land purchase and lived on North Broadway. In 1950 the new church—a basement and a ground floor–was dedicated. That’s the phase shown in this photo. In 1954 the church was expanded to include an auditorium for 450, classrooms, choir loft, and baptistery; in 1958 it was expanded again to include a parking lot. (Photo courtesy of Calvary Bible Church)