Allen Temple AME Church (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Allen Temple AME Church
Location	Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Denomination	African Methodist Episcopal Church
Website	www.allentemple.org
History
Founder(s)	Rev. James King
Specifications
Capacity	1235
Administration
District	Third Episcopal District
Clergy
Pastor(s)	Dr. Alphonse Allen, Jr.
Allen Temple
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	538 Broadway, Cincinnati, Ohio
Area	less than one acre
Built	1852
NRHP Reference #	75001414
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 7, 1975
Removed from NRHP	January 1, 1999

The Allen Temple AME Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, is the mother church of the Third Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest operating black church in Cincinnati and the largest church of the Third Episcopal District of the AME Church.

Named after Richard Allen, founder of the AME Church, the church was founded in 1823 as a congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church because of the prejudicial treatment blacks received in the predominantly white churches.

The first pastor chosen by the black congregation was Rev. James King, at the time a slave living in Lexington, Kentucky whose owner allowed him to hire his time. In 1824, following the founding of the AME denomination, Rev. King and Rev. Philip Brodie led the congregation to join with the AME. The congregation occupied at least four structures, each known by its own name, prior to 1870, the last of which was known as "Allen Chapel" and constructed around 1850. During this period the church was a waystation on the Underground Railroad. In 1862, the church helped launch the second AME church in Cincinnati, the Brown Chapel AME Church.

Because of growth and vandalism, in 1870 the congregation purchased the structure previously housing the Rockdale Temple synagogue for $40,000, reflecting its position as one of the early black churches with a predominantly middle class congregation. At this time the church took the name "Allen Temple". Fiscal pressures from the mortgage and 1974 fire damage led to the formation of charity groups. After paying off the debts of the congregation, these groups turned to social and welfare work.

Isaac Nelson Ross, later the 41st bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal, served as pastor of Allen Temple for 5 years between 1900 and 1907.

In 1975, the Broadway church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying as significant statewide because of its well-preserved historic architecture and because of its place in Ohio's history. Since that time, the building has been destroyed, and it was removed from the Register in 1999.